


Doll

by Zetran



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: AU, M/M, Original Game
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-20
Updated: 2018-01-20
Packaged: 2018-01-26 05:53:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 49
Words: 97,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1677167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zetran/pseuds/Zetran
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cloud Strife is given to Jenova in exchange for food and shelter for Cloud and his mother. Cloud doesn't seem to be a sacrifice, but what exactly does Jenova have in mind for him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The harsh winter was much too terrible for Mrs. Strife this year. Having a child to care for and supplies that wouldn't last the rest of the week even for herself, Mrs. Strife felt that she had no choice. The others in Nibelheim wouldn't help her; she knew that. Mrs. Strife decided to take the gamble.

She was going to ask the "Demon Woman" for help.

The natives of Nibelheim passed down stories from many generations ago about the Demon Woman. Mostly everybody thought they were urban legends to scare anyone away from trying to climb up Mt. Nibel, though Mt. Nibel was terrifying enough with its dragons, wolves, and other monsters that were very, very real. The legends of the Demon Woman all said just about the exact same thing: Somewhere in Mt. Nibel lived the Demon Woman, who rarely came down to Nibelheim and apparently hated humans. She could take the form of anybody, and that was one reason why nobody in Nibelheim took kindly to foreigners.

The Demon Woman was Mrs. Strife's only hope. Though she knew she was going to have to pay the Demon Woman back somehow, Mrs. Strife decided she would get through that obstacle when it came up.

The fact that it wasn't even winter made things worse. If the weather was this bad now, the whole town would probably be colder and whiter than Icicle Inn by early December!

Mrs. Strife took what she had to bundle up her child and herself, doing the best she could to keep her baby warm. When she deemed the both of them ready, she set out. Food wasn't packed because Mrs. Strife didn't plan on being out for very long, and it would only serve to further encumber her.

Now at the start of the Mt. Nibel trail, Mrs. Strife took a deep breath, tightened her hold around the bulky bundle of fur in her arms, and started the journey.

It was a treacherous and confusing walk, though it felt more like a climb. Mrs. Strife relied on trial and error to get her through. Many times did she have to backtrack or turn around. Going through every tunnel felt like walking in circles; every corner felt like a dead end. The cold was much worse up on the mountain. Nibelheim was seeing its first flakes – Mt. Nibel almost had the equivalent of a blizzard. The tunnels helped with the cold somewhat, since the chilling wind couldn't attack them there. Mrs. Strife, though not very comfortable with the weather, considered herself very lucky. She hadn't run into any creatures ( _yet_ , she told herself) and was very glad for that. She desperately wanted to check on her child, but didn't dare to uncover him. It wasn't worth the risk.

Though her arms and legs started to burn with fatigue, Mrs. Strife persevered. That one hope burned in her, keeping her from turning back to Nibelheim. The hope that she would find the Demon Woman.

Mrs. Stife turned back and took the middle path (she had hit a dead end again; stalactites and stalagmites divided the cave). What she saw next nearly took her breath away.

A Mako spring, completely natural, flowed in the near center of a cave that had its walls and most of the floor covered in what appeared to be tree roots. The Mako spring itself was a beautiful and extremely rare sight. The Mako being formed completely naturally was what made it rare. Normally, the only Mako found would be the condensed kind that came from reactors. A bright green light emanated from the fountain, illuminating the whole cave. Towards the top of the fountain were little rainbow lights, which resembled a lighter hued version of materia. Mrs. Strife couldn't help but stare in wonder.

What felt like mere seconds later, Mrs. Strife found herself breathing heavily, and her trembling legs gave out. Now on her knees, Mrs. Strife tried to draw out any strength she might have had to lift herself upright, but she had none.

_I've... failed..._ she thought to herself. _There was never any guarantee that I would've found her. I have only myself to blame for trying._ She hung her head in defeat. Now she and the child were going to die in the cold. Even if she stayed home, at least it would've been warm for a little while. This whole journey was frigid enough to freeze the soul from the very start, it seemed.

Now that her mind was taken off of walking, Mrs. Strife turned her attention to the baby in her arms. She realized that she had not heard a single sound from the bundle, nor had she felt any movement whatsoever.

Fearing the worst, Mrs. Strife wept. She let a sob escape her.

"Did you honestly think it was that worthless to come out all the way up here? I completely doubt very many would even try; certainly not anybody from Nibelheim," a voice nearby said. Mrs. Stife looked up and saw a strange figure.

The figure had a female humanoid appearance, though with pale gray skin and a light purple eye (almost pink), the other eye covered by silver hair with a dark tint to it. The pupil of the eye appeared to be slitted, like a cat's.

Hope returned, doing a little cheer in Mrs. Strife's mind. However, she couldn't be sure. It was a trick, wasn't it? Something her fatigued mind came up with? It wouldn't be a surprise if she was now hallucinating. The Demon Woman could've been part of her imagination.

"Though many would be insulted when called a demon, I am flattered. It shows that the cowards are still afraid of me, even after so long," the woman said with a smirk.

_It must be my imagination. How else would my thoughts have been read?_ Mrs. Strife thought. _Well, if the Demon Woman can change her shape, she can read minds, I suppose._

"I can't make it..." Mrs. Strife said between breaths. "Neither of us will be able to live past this winter, and I actually attempted this-this quest. It was a stupid thing to do, and now I'm losing it..." If Mrs. Strife was seeing things, then it wouldn't be out of the ordinary to talk to herself.

"I'm surprised you have been able to come this far and still live," the woman finally said with a look of amusement on her face. "Come with me. It is best that you two are warmed up, especially the young one."

Mrs. Strife used a bit of recovered energy to pull herself up and tried to follow as the woman began to walk. The woman, seeing her difficulty, took hold of Mrs. Strife's right arm and supported her. It was all a dream to Mrs. Strife. She expected to wake up in her bed, back in Nibelheim, soon.

The woman was covered in a black cloak that ended at her ankles, Mrs. Strife observed. Looking at her heels, Mrs. Strife assumed she wore boots. The woman kept looking forward, ignoring Mrs. Strife.

The woman led Mrs. Strife through a path she had never noticed the whole time she was there. It had many twists and turns. Most of the other paths were ignored. Though it was a dream, Mrs. Strife was glad she had someone to lead her.

Eventually, they were out, near one of the mountain peaks. The wind and snow blew harder than before. The ability to breathe was a bit of a miracle, since the air was thinner.

The woman lead Mrs. Strife to a wooden house. She opened the door and motioned for Mrs. Strife to enter.

"Take off your shoes and sit."

Mrs. Strife did as she was told, then sat on the long couch, grateful for the rest. It felt like a few minutes, but already Mrs. Strife could feel her fingers and legs again. _This dream feels awfully realistic,_ Mrs. Strife observed.

Mrs. Strife unbundled her child, holding her breath. Her baby was cold – but not freezing – and breathing faintly. Mrs. Strife let out a breath of relief. Reassured that her son was alive, she then took in her surroundings. Across from her was a TV, sitting on top of what looked like a set of drawers. She heard clinking to the left of her and turned to see a kitchen. The woman was at the oven, which was to the right of the fridge but separated by a counter. The sink was against the wall to the left of the woman, counters filling in the empty spaces. Behind Mrs. Strife was a table with eight chairs. The only thing that "separated" the rooms was the floor. Close to the door, a section of the floor appeared to be made of concrete and was lower than that of the rest of the house. Carpet covered the living room, wood covered the dining, and tile covered the kitchen floor. _A nice way to distinguish the different areas,_ Mrs. Strife though with awe.

A delicious aroma wafted from the kitchen. Mrs. Strife then realized that she had not eaten in quite a while. She stood up, cradling her child closer to her person, and looked towards the kitchen. The woman held a steaming bowl and waved to a chair, gesturing for Mrs. Strife to sit.

Mrs. Strife gently set her child on the table, now leaving his face uncovered. The woman placed a bowl of soup and a spoon in front of Mrs. Strife, then sat across from her.

_This is no dream,_ Mrs. Strife silently realized after the first spoonful. The soup was delicious, warming her throat and stomach. Mrs. Strife ate quickly (though not messily), not stopping to try to make conversation. It didn't seem to matter to the woman.

Mrs. Strife place the spoon in the empty bowl, pushed the bowl slightly forward, leaned back in the chair, and cradled her baby. Her baby felt much warmer and seemed to be breathing steadily.

The woman didn't move and instead said, "Tell me now: what exactly do you need from me?" Mrs. Strife noticed that her voice had a strange sound to it, like she had lived long and knew much.

"There was no chance of survival for us back there," Mrs. Strife began. "I wasn't able to tend the garden, nor was I able to buy enough food for the winter. I wasn't able to do much of anything in my condition, actually. My husband died of an illness the year before, and it was almost impossible to do anything by myself. I don't know how I made it through. I knew there was a risk starting this..." She paused for the right word. "...quest, but I took that risk, hoping to find help. Nobody would've helped us back there, I knew that. But – please understand! – I am doing this more for him than for myself. He only turned a month old four days ago. He hasn't learned the joy of living yet.

"So I came to ask you for help. It doesn't matter how," Mrs. Strife finished.

"I am willing to let you stay. However –" the woman said when Mrs. Strife perked up. "– there is a price."

"What is it?" Mrs. Strife asked. "If it's possible for me to do it, I will."

"A simple thing to do. All I ask for is the child in your arms."

_No!_ Mrs. Strife screamed in her mind. She did not want to give up her baby, the only loved one she had left. _But,_ her mind reasoned, _there must be a reason for this._

"What will happen to him? Will he be safe?"

"Of course. I will allow you to stay here, in my home, and raise him until his fourth birthday. When that day comes, you will have to give him to me and get ready to go back to Nibelheim. You will still have my assistance with anything you might need."

It wasn't too bad. She and, more importantly, her child will be safe. But there were a few more things...

"Will I be able to see him after the four years are up?"

"Yes. Every so often he will be brought down to your home for a visit," was the answer.

"One last thing." She hesitated, hoping her next question didn't come out rude.

"May I ask why you want him?"

"My reasons are partly selfish. That is all you will hear from me."

Mrs. Strife didn't want to, but the other choice was much worse.

"...I agree to your terms."

"It is done." The Deal was sealed.

The woman took the soup bowl to wash. Afterward, she placed it in the cupboard and the spoon in the drawer.

"May I have your name?" The woman had turned to ask.

"Strife. My last name," Mrs. Strife said.

"One with troubles. Sadly ironic."

"May I have yours?" Again, Mrs. Strife hoped that it didn't come out as rude.

"Jenova. It is my true name," the woman answered with a look that said she wasn't offended at all. "And the child's?"

"Cloud."

* * *

Notes:

Idea conceived: 2012年12月18日（火）

Started: 2013年1月15日（火）

Finished: 2013年1月17日（木）

Uploaded: 2013年1月20日（日）

I always thought, in my imaginings, that Jenova sounded like Moro from the English version of Princess Mononoke.


	2. Chapter 2

Jenova led Mrs. Strife up the stairs and into a long, dark hallway. Jenova opened the first door to the right and motioned for Mrs. Strife to enter. The room was practically empty. All it had was a small bed against the wall, an end table next to the bed, and a tiny closet. The walls weren't even painted.

Jenova removed the blanket from the bed and left the room. Mrs. Strife hear rustling, a low thump, and a sleepy "Hey!" from down the hallway. A whine followed and Jenova returned with a much warmer blanket.

"The sheets are still cold," Jenova said before leaving Mrs. Strife to get herself settled. The sheets really were still freezing, but the warmth of the blanket helped with that. Mrs. Strife snuggled Cloud closer to herself, exhaustion running through her limbs. She couldn't help but feel proud of her accomplishment. The Deal was far from anything she wanted to do, but... she climbed through half of Mt. Nibel _and_ lived to tell the tale. It was unheard of – nobody could get very far without getting hurt, much less going through what Mrs. Strife did and still live.

With that in mind, Mrs. Strife kept Cloud close to herself and hoped the next four years didn't pass quickly.

* * *

Blinding sunlight streamed in through the curtain-less windows. Mrs. Strife sat up, opening her eyes. Her arms and legs were sore from yesterday, she noticed.

Cloud was still asleep. How he could sleep so long was beyond Mrs. Strife.

Picking Cloud up, Mrs. Strife unbundled him, leaving him in the tiny onesie he originally wore. Cloud wiggled a bit and let out the beginning of a cry. Mrs. Strife rocked him and tried to quiet him, but Cloud would have none of it. He was hungry and wanted feeding _now._ Mrs. Strife opened the door and took a quick peek. It didn't look like anybody was up here at the moment. Mrs. Strife closed the door and stood in the left corner near the closet and away from the window. All mothers in Nibelheim breast fed, but Mrs. Strife wanted to make the situation as least awkward as possible if she was walked in on.

Cloud was satisfied after a short while. Mrs. Strife sighed in relief and made her way down the stairs.

Jenova and four others were at the table. Jenova was at one end, two young boys sitting on one side and the other two, appearing older, across from them. One of the boys on the right, near Jenova called out a greeting upon seeing her and waved enthusiastically. The other three just sat there, bright green cat eyes almost identical to Jenova's studying Mrs. Strife intently. Jenova was sipping a steaming glass of liquid.

"Why don't you join us?" Jenova invited. Mrs. Strife took her offer and sat across from her, feeling a little deja vu. She shifted her hold against Cloud, propping him on his stomach over her shoulder and placed one hand on his back, the other behind his knees.

"These four are my sons. This is Kadaj." Jenova gestured to a boy with chin-length silver hair to Mrs. Strife's right. He looked about fifteen or sixteen. "Loz," Jenova continued. The boy between Kadaj and Jenova had the shortest hair out of everyone and gave Mrs. Strife a big smile. He looked slightly older, maybe seventeen or eighteen. "Yazoo."

"Nice meeting you," he said softly. Mrs. Strife was positive that Yazoo was in his early twenties. The way his back-length hair framed his face and shoulders seemed to suit him.

"...and finally, Sephiroth," Jenova concluded before Mrs. Strife could reply.

"I've seen you before. You don't come down very often," Mrs. Strife blurted to Sephiroth. She winced internally.

"I'm only in Nibelheim during the daytime when there are things I have to do. I'm not very popular there," he replied.

With the introductions over, Jenova moved on, "Cloud and Mrs. Strife, his mother, are going to stay with us for a while. Things aren't going so well for them in Nibelheim."

"How long?" Loz asked.

"Four years."

"Are you serious? That's way too long for the blanket thief to freeload!" Kadaj objected.

Yazoo gave Kadaj a good kick to the shin under the table.

"Ignore him," Sephiroth said. "He's always like that."

"Whatever. I don't know why Mother would go ahead and let anyone stay here, but you can agree that four years is too damn long," Kadaj said.

"Stop being a meanie, Kadaj!" Loz whined. That surprised Mrs. Strife. She didn't expect anyone to stick up for her. She knew Jenova would keep her side of The Deal, but that didn't mean that Jenova had to be nice to her. Mrs. Strife had a lot to learn; the fact that Jenova had a family was only the beginning.

Kadaj was about to say more, but the glare from Jenova shut him up.

"Mother never does anything for no reason. Definitely wouldn't do anything major just because she felt like it," Yazoo reminded him and, in turn, informed Mrs. Strife.

Kadaj let out a frustrated sigh and stayed silent.

"Has he gone yet?" Jenova referred to Cloud, changing the subject.

"Gone?" Mrs. Strife was confused.

"Baby go boom boom?" Loz supplied.

"Oh!" Mrs. Strife checked Cloud's diaper. Boom boom. "Yes, he went..." Mrs. Strife had nothing to change him with. She had forgotten that only the furs she and Cloud had worn were here.

Jenova stood and left.

After a short spell of silence, Sephiroth asked, "How old is he?"

"Turned a month old four days ago. No, five," Mrs. Strife corrected herself.

"Hm," Sephiroth said. "Still at the sleeping stage. It seems boring now, but you'll wish for it later."

Mrs. Strife chuckled. She assumed that Sephiroth had to help out with his brothers when they were younger. "Well, he's a bit of a sleeper now. I don't think he'll be interested in moving much."

"When you learn a new skill, you tend to use it a lot. Age doesn't matter." The way Sephiroth said it made Mrs. Strife doubt that he was joking.

"I'll get ready for when the time comes. What do you think will help?"

"A leash, or a cage, maybe." His brothers laughed a bit at that; even Kadaj joined in.

"I guess I'll have to make one," Mrs. Strife joked back.

"We still have the box we used when we played Trip-Trap," Yazoo joined in.

"Trip-Trap?"

"It's a game we used to play. We haven't really played it recently, though," Loz said.

"How does it work?"

"First, you have to be in a place set up with 'traps.' Any place with room will do. Then you need to cover your eyes with a blindfold or anything similar. The goal of the game is to leave the area without setting off any of the traps, which should only go off if you trip or fall over them," Sephiroth explained.

"What was the box for?"

"If you fell in the box, you got locked in!" Loz exclaimed a little too enthusiastically.

By then Jenova had returned. She beckoned for Mrs. Strife to come to the living room. Mrs. Strife obeyed. Jenova dumped some pieces of cloth on the couch and held her arms out, silently asking for Cloud. Mrs. Strife slowly leaned forward and reluctantly let him go. Jenova placed Cloud face up on the couch and took off the dirty diaper. She grabbed the lighter cloths (which were wet) and wiped him. Cloud's face scrunched up and let out a cry.

"I know, I know," Jenova soothed. "It'll be over quick," she reassured both Cloud and Mrs. Strife, who had tensed a little.

Jenova wrapped a bigger and thicker-looking cloth around Cloud's bottom and between his legs, securing it with a knot tight enough to stay wrapped, but loose enough for comfort. She handed Cloud back to Mrs. Strife and threw the dirty diaper and cloths into a can. "Can of DOOM" was comically marked on the front. Or side. Or back.

"This should hold for a while."

"Thank you," Mrs. Strife said sincerely. When she returned to the table and took a seat, Jenova was in the kitchen, Sephiroth and Yazoo discussing something about break outs and death races (they must have joined the "game craze" everyone seemed to be talking about. Nibelheim didn't take the fad well), and Kadaj and Loz seemed to be giddy for some reason.

"Consider this a one-time thing," Jenova said. "You're on your own next time."

"Mmmf," Kadaj grumbled, now frowning. He shot a glare towards Mrs. Strife, but didn't say anything.

Jenova came over and placed a plate of bite-sized meat in front of Mrs. Strife. Sephiroth, Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo had gotten up to serve themselves. The six of them ate in silence, Cloud squirming a bit in Mrs. Strife's arms.

"When the sun starts to set, we go down to Nibelheim to get your things," Jenova announced. Mrs. Strife paused. Again, she had forgotten that none of her things were here. Cloud would have to stay behind. She didn't want to put him in danger going back and forth.

"I have to go, right?"

"You do. There are some belongings you may want to take that we don't know of. Is it correct for me to guess that you had locked up the place before you left?"

It was. The key burned in Mrs. Strife's pocket.

"Who's going to stay behind? To watch Cloud, I mean."

"Sephiroth will." All eyes turned to him. The tone in Jenova's voice said there was no backing out.

Sephiroth gave a simple shrug. "I'm willing."

"It's best to start getting ready. The days are growing shorter, and it is already two." Night tended to fall around six in the evening towards the end of fall, but it would probably come a little earlier.

The hour Mrs. Strife heard shocked her. "Two?" Had she really been asleep that long?

"Yes, two. You came down half an hour ago."

It was a real miracle that Cloud was asleep that long. Cloud couldn't have gone to the bathroom too long ago; his butt wasn't burned. How he hadn't gone earlier was a bit harder to believe.

"It's nothing to worry about. You were probably walking for over two hours with no rest yesterday."

Though she had a good reason to that time, Mrs. Strife swore to never sleep that long again.

* * *

It was nearly five-thirty when they left. The time passed quickly, though most of it was spent watching TV. The only memorable thing was how everybody (besides Mrs. Strife and Jenova) had reacted to a commercial about a horror movie featuring a high school girl with strange powers going to the prom and another commercial advertising something called an Atari. Mrs. Strife swore that Jenova was also interested and just hiding it.

Before Mrs. Strife walked out the door (Jenova, Kadaj, Loz and Yazoo were waiting outside), she handed Cloud to Sephiroth, giving Cloud a kiss on the head.

"I'll be back soon, Cloud."

With that, Mrs. Strife walked out, trusting Sephiroth to take care of Cloud.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年1月22日（火）

Finished: 2013年1月24日（木）

...and we have an update! This would've been out sooner, but I gave up on the writing and had to start over. Once I wrote something down, I immediately thought of something else to add or rewrite. My brain's stupid.

They may seem out of character, but I'll explain that soon. Imaginary treat to anyone who can guess the movie!

Thanks for the reviews, favorites, and alerts! I didn't expect this to get so much attention in less than a week. I promise to get Chapter 3 out by the 31st, since it's a special day.


	3. Chapter 3

The plan was going well. The human's partner wasn't expected to die; the illness wasn't Jenova's doing. In turn, the human wasn't expected to make The Deal so soon.

Originally, the child would've been born to a normal life, raised by his human parents in Nibelheim. When that child turned four, Jenova would've triggered an event, and The Deal would've been made. What the event would have been, Jenova hadn't decided, but it did not matter now. Having the human stay, and the child still a newborn complicated things. Four seemed like a good age: the child would've been old enough to interact, but still young enough to have his way of thinking and believing changed. A newborn was more complicated since it couldn't do much, but Jenova was patient. This was worth it.

Jenova had purposely left Sephiroth with Cloud. The human wasn't stupid, but very easy to manipulate. It only took persistence. Jenova had filled the human with hope and the idea that she could be saved. So, the human climbed up the mountain. Jenova had been there the whole time. She had watched the human from the start, seeing how far it could go before it gave up. It was then that Jenova showed herself. The human was reminded of what exactly happened. So, the human thought it was a dream, since either the creatures would have killed them or the journey itself would have. That led to the human following along, since anything could happen in a dream.

The human's survival wasn't based on luck, either. It had taken years to create the child, and having it die was not going to happen. The Planet and everything on it had been created by Jenova: the air, the plants, the creatures – _everything._ The creatures remembered that; the plants remembered that; the humans had forgotten. So, the wolves, dragons, and everything else steered clear of the human, allowing it to pass without incident. The human would never have let the child go, so killing it was out of the question.

Though Jenova despised humans with a part of her being, she gave it a little more thought and reasoned that she didn't hate humans, just their flaws. The way they turned against each other, stole from each other, intentionally hurt each other, _killed_ each other.

But the pros were something to acknowledge. The Cetra were created with powers of healing and life, but never stayed in one place for too long. The only permanent settlement they created was in the North Continent, but it was impossible to find unless you knew where and how to find it. Eventually, the Cetra started to trade their power and give up their nomadic life for a life of stability and ambition. The ambition part was what Jenova liked.

The humans wanted a better way to preserve food. So, they invented the refrigerator. They wanted stories told by actions and words. So, they created plays and movies. They wanted to fly. So, they created planes. Anything they wanted to improve, they did eventually. That was why there were now movies with color and sound instead of silence and black and white. That was why telephones, boats, planes, and cars existed. It was this that fascinated Jenova the most: technology. She was obsessed with it. Everything electrical in the house had been taken apart and put back together at least once. It was like a game, finding out how the things worked.

Jenova snapped out of those thoughts and came back to the present.

The human's caring for its child was a good thing. It took a lot of time to create something; to give it a name; to give it traits; to give it its appearance; to give it its _purpose._ Cloud Strife's purpose was for two things, the first expected to occur when The Deal was carried out. The second would take place in the relatively distant future.

The human was brought to Mt. Nibel so Cloud's growth could be influenced. It would be much easier in the long run. The separation would leave Cloud grieving, but if Jenova played her cards right, it wouldn't be for long. Sephiroth was the key here. It was another reason to bring the human.

Sephiroth _had_ to interact with Cloud as often as possible. It was imperative. Leaving the child with him was a great opportunity to start. All it took was a small amount of faith and trust to be put into the human to leave the child behind. The only thing left was to convince Sephiroth to go along with it. Jenova had been bothering him to go make a living for himself for a while, but made a compromise: stay with Cloud and help take care of him, play with him, things that he had done with his brothers so long ago. In return, Jenova would stop bothering him. The four of them were old enough to go do things on their own, so of course she would stop doing things for them. They were expected to make their own food (which was why Kadaj and Loz were giddy earlier) and help around the house. Nobody in Nibelheim wanted anything to do with any of them, so Jenova's bothering didn't help, but it did encourage Sephiroth to help out more.

Speaking (thinking) of Sephiroth... _I'll be interrogated later,_ Jenova thought with amusement.

* * *

Sephiroth was too old for this. The last time he had to babysit, he was the equivalent of a teenager. Why the human brat was dumped on him, he didn't know. He was perfectly capable of helping. He had reached his mind out to Jenova, but only got "Now is not the time" for an answer. It didn't help that the turd had its eyes and mouth open like it was smiling at him. It _was_ smiling at him. _It_ was _smiling_ at _him._

A feeling not his own creeped into his mind. It was one of happiness. Pure happiness. It could have come only from the thing he was holding. A twinge of sadness flashed at being thought of as a thing, but it disappeared almost instantly. The bright blue eyes stared up at him, unblinking, and Sephiroth felt his eyes unfocus. His vision blurred, then cleared up a bit.

He swore he could see himself. It was completely blurry and hard to make out, but it was himself. The smears of silver gave it away. Sephiroth shook his head and his gaze was on the baby once more. It was still staring at him. The happy feeling continued.

"Whatever you're doing, stop it," Sephiroth said out loud. "Now."

Cloud's little smile faded and turned into a pout. His tiny blue eyes and bright blond hair (he had an awful lot for his age) made it impossible to resist. The little booger was cute.

"Ehh, ehhh..." came from the thing in his arms. "Ahh..." It was laughing at him. Sephiroth could feel the amusement.

In revenge, Sephiroth grabbed the little butt's nose and pulled. A spark of annoyance resulted from that. Sephiroth did a jump of victory in his mind. Apparently the potato felt it, too, because the annoyance grew.

"A little mystery you are," Sephiroth remarked. "Maybe we should steal you away more often." When the human had gone to sleep, Jenova had already explained that Mrs. Strife was going to stay for four years. The reason why never came. In the early morning, Cloud had woken up and wailed. The little screamer had a good set of lungs and Sephiroth didn't doubt that Cloud could have made a worse racket. Jenova had taken him from the room and fed him and changed him. She had shown him to Sephiroth and his brothers, saying that they should help out with him. Sephiroth couldn't fathom why. Jenova could have easily helped from afar. Bringing them here wasn't necessary. The baby was placed back in the room with his mother (who was still knocked out) when he fell asleep.

The morning after, they all had somewhat hidden their personalities around Mrs. Strife. Yazoo was quiet, but he was a bit quieter than usual. Loz still acted like a child, but he oozed more childishness for that moment. Kadaj normally did have a short temper, but he used the fact that his blanket was taken last night and replaced with a freezing one as a cover-up. Honestly, it didn't matter to him. Sephiroth would have stayed completely silent, but the child drew his interest. In fact, his curiosity grew over the short time he was alone with him.

The baby reached a tiny arm out to Sephiroth, curling and uncurling his fingers. Sephiroth allowed him to grab his finger. The happy feeling returned.

Sephiroth was going to get to the bottom of why he could feel what Cloud felt and see what Cloud saw. Sephiroth didn't remember that happening with Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo until they were at least six months old. Hell, it shouldn't happen in the first place, considering that Cloud was human.

"How about getting to know each other, Cloud?" The happiness intensified tenfold.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年1月24日（木）

Finished: 2013年1月26日（土）

That was fast! But... it's so short! >o< I was planning to explain the ages more, but I couldn't find a good place to stick it in without making seem like it came out of nowhere.

Something I forgot to mention yesterday... Time has a bit of importance here. That's why the date was the first thing back in Chapter 1. I'll be adding FF7 things and some bits of things that happened around that time in real life. I'm actually getting a little help with that from a website, though there's a footnote saying that it's a little inaccurate. The main thing that I'll reveal is that the events of Final Fantasy VII do take place in 1997.

This came out pretty fast, but I'll still have something up by the 31st. It _is_ a day to celebrate.


	4. Chapter 4

Kadaj and Loz were the first to return, finding Sephiroth sprawled on the couch, reading with the kid asleep on his stomach. The child had his butt in the air.

"Did she have a lot to bring?" Sephiroth turned a page in his book.

"Nah. Mainly books, clothes, and small stuff," Kadaj said. He and Loz each had a blocky-looking bag. Probably the books.

"Not too bad." Sephiroth didn't look up from the book.

"It would be a whole lot better if _you_ had helped out, too. Guess you're too good for that," Kadaj accused.

"Do you think I actually like having an oversized bean bag on me? Staying here wasn't my choice in the first place."

"Well, it would at least make us feel better if you help now," Loz said.

"I would if I could."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Kadaj questioned.

Sephiroth sighed and closed the book. He tried to sit up.

Horrible wailing filled the room. Sephiroth quickly laid back down. The screaming stopped.

"Damn... You're being bossed around by a _baby?!_ " Kadaj said. "That's priceless!" He and Loz erupted in hysterical laughter.

"Whatever. It's not as funny when you're the one it's bossing around." Sephiroth opened the book again as Yazoo came in.

"He's being bossed around by a baby!" Loz pointed and exclaimed.

"Hm. So he is." Yazoo climbed up the stairs with a small sack.

"You're boring!" Kadaj called after him.

Mrs. Strife arrived next, Jenova right behind her. Jenova carried a rocking chair and Mrs. Strife had a suitcase. Kadaj and Loz bolted up the stairs once the door had opened.

"Thank you, dear," Mrs. Strife said tiredly. "Was he too much trouble?"

"Not at all. He slept most of the time."

Jenova took Mrs. Strife's suitcase and carried it up the stairs without a word. Mrs. Strife held out her arms in front of Sephiroth. Sephiroth sat up and slowly lifted Cloud and returned him to his mother. Cloud wailed again, but it was less intense now. Mrs. Strife checked his diaper, but it was clean.

"He's hungry," Mrs. Strife said before climbing up the stairs.

Sephiroth stretched, enjoying his new-found freedom. He really couldn't sit still for very long sometimes.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mrs. Strife sat in her temporary room with a sleeping Cloud. He had had no mercy on Mrs. Strife, suckling ravenously before passing out. Mrs. Strife placed him on the bed, next to the wall, and sorted through her things.

Being an avid reader, she had brought her books. The books were the only things not very important that she decided to bring, the rest being her clothes and Cloud's, all the diapers she had, some toiletries, and her photo album. The album was very dear to her; it contained some of the memories she had with her late husband, and would contain the memories she would have with Cloud. Her limited time with Cloud made it more important. Tomorrow, she planned to ask for a camera. Hopefully nobody minded.

With her meager possessions put away in the closet, Mrs. Strife turned in for the night, snuggling Cloud close to herself, much like the night before.

* * *

Like she had predicted earlier, Jenova was interrogated by Sephiroth. His questions were typical: why in the world had she brought someone to the house and why did Sephiroth have to stay with the baby? There was something Sephiroth was hiding, and Jenova picked up on it instantly: the baby had the beginnings of the mental capacity they all had. It took much longer for her sons to start using their ability, but Cloud was a special case. That was a good thing.

Jenova ignored Sephiroth's questions, promising to reveal the reason why in time. She severed the mental link before he could say anything else. Now was the time for waiting.

* * *

The months flew by, and Cloud grew and grew. He had teeth and was now weaned (much to the relief of Mrs. Strife), could crawl easily, and was able to stand for a few seconds. His hair had grown and taken on a wild look, blond spikes pointing in many directions. Mrs. Strife took many pictures of him (Jenova had actually encouraged it) and her album was full of Cloud and his firsts. Cloud's first tooth. Cloud's first haircut. Cloud's first time trying actual food.

Today was bittersweet for Mrs. Strife. It was Cloud's first birthday. On the negative side, it was the 19th of August, 1977, three years before the same day on the year 1980. Mrs. Strife pushed that thought away from her. There was still some time before then, and today should be a happy day.

Cloud was following Sephiroth around, like always. The little boy was hanging onto Sephiroth's leg, trying to get his attention for the millionth time. Cloud was like Sephiroth's shadow, never wanting to leave him alone. Sephiroth didn't seem to be annoyed.

"Nnn da! Gugi, mn da da!" Cloud babbled. He was getting closer and closer to talking soon.

"Fascinating," Sephiroth said. "What happened next?"

"Bla! Bubbu ma!" Cloud was squatting up and down while still holding onto Sephiroth's leg. It was his version of dancing.

"Really?"

"Yayayayaya gu. Na na." Cloud reached up, grabbing Sephiroth's thigh, and tried to climb up. Sephiroth dragged him up onto the couch. Cloud sat between Sephiroth and Mrs. Strife. He now grabbed onto Sephiroth's sleeve, pulling himself upright.

"No, Cloud," Mrs. Strife said. Cloud made a disappointed sound. "No" was a word he understood very well. He let go and fell on his butt.

"What kind of cake would you like?" Jenova called from the kitchen.

"Chocolate!" Loz yelled from the floor.

"Chocolate!" Kadaj was also on the floor.

"Chocolate's good." Yazoo was next to Sephiroth.

"I don't recall asking the Three Musketeers anything."

"I think Cloud would like chocolate," Mrs. Strife said.

Kadaj and Loz grinned, then turned back to watch _The Pink Panther._ Cloud's eyes caught the sight of the colors on the screen, and he sat still, entranced.

After a few minutes, Jenova joined them in the living room, standing behind the couch.

"It's baking," was all she said.

It was a rarity for Jenova to be seen around the house. After the first few days, Mrs. Strife had seen no trace of her. Even after asking so many times, nobody had given even a vague answer. Tension would fill the air every time. Because of that, Mrs. Strife decided not to disturb the peace.

After a while, though, she blurted out a random question: "Does anybody like books?"

"We all do," Yazoo said. "Some less than others."

"What would you say your favorite was?"

" _The Call of the Wild._ It's the only one I know where the dog doesn't die at the end." Sephiroth nodded in agreement.

" _Batman_ is the best," Kadaj said.

"No, _Superman_ ," Loz argued.

"Comic books don't count," Jenova interrupted before any bickering could occur.

"Personally, I've always liked _Of Mice and Men_ ," Mrs. Strife continued, getting the conversation back on track. Kadaj stopped paying attention. Loz was still listening to what Mrs. Strife had to say.

"Do you have a favorite book?" That one was directed towards Jenova. All heads turned to Mrs. Strife. Jenova just stared into space, completely silent.

Then, " _'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves..._ " she recited.

"Aw, not that one again!" Kadaj said good-naturedly.

"What's wrong with it?" Mrs. Strife asked.

"Nothing. Mother has recited it lots of times before," Loz said.

"Hmm, I don't recognize it. Is there more to it?"

Jenova blinked. " _'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves_ ," she began, " _Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:/All mimsy were the borogoves,/And the mome raths outgrabe_. That should be enough for you to investigate."

A ding sounded and Jenova returned to the kitchen before Mrs. Strife could ask any more. A few minutes passed, Cloud giggling along with anybody that laughed at the TV, before Jenova called everyone to the dining room. A medium-sized cake sat in the middle of the table. Jenova slid it til it was in front of Mrs. Strife, sitting down soon after. The lone candle was already lit.

"Happy first year, Cloud," Jenova said.

"Happy birthday, Cloud," Mrs. Strife chimed in.

"Thanks for the cake!" Kadaj said. That earned him a kick to the leg from Yazoo.

"Happy birthday," Yazoo said as if nothing happened.

"Cake! Oh, happy birthday," Loz corrected before he got hit.

"Happy birthday, Cloud," Sephiroth said. Cloud had a big grin, showing off all of his seven teeth, though he didn't know what was going on.

Mrs. Strife blew out the candle for Cloud. The cake was cut, and all had a small feast. Chocolate was smeared all over Cloud's face and hands. He had fed himself, for the most part.

Cake gone, and Cloud bathed, the living room was crowded once more. Cloud was now chewing on a little figure made of popsicle sticks with a picture cut from a magazine for a face.

"Aw, he's eating Carrie again!" Loz whined.

"At least nobody will laugh at her anymore," Sephiroth said. He pulled the stick figure out of Cloud's mouth. Into the Can of DOOM Carrie went. They were going to make another one anyways.

"No!" Cloud said. "No, no, no, no! No!"

Mrs. Strife gasped. "His first word! Oooh!" she cooed.

"That's right. No, you cannot eat Carrie anymore. Or anyone else, for that matter," Sephiroth said to Cloud.

"No," Cloud said again. He crawled to DOOM and tried to knock it over. Sephiroth grabbed him by the leg and lifted him. Mrs. Strife gasped in horror.

"Don't hold him like that!" Cloud was upside down, giggling again. Sephiroth set him down in front of Mrs. Strife.

"No, no," Cloud scolded, mimicking his mother. He yawned. Mrs. Strife picked him up and cradled him.

"Bed time for you," she said.

"No," Cloud said tiredly.

"Yes." Mrs. Strife went up the stairs. Settled into bed, Cloud passed out. Mrs. Strife decided to turn in for the night as well, as it was very late.

* * *

Even later into the night, Mrs. Strife woke up. Thirsting for some water, she pushed Cloud into the corner of the bed (she didn't want him to fall off), and slowly felt her way down the stairs. There was no hallway light, and the only light switches – not including the ones in the bedrooms – were on the first floor. Mrs. Strife guided herself to the kitchen, eventually finding the switch and flicking it on. She looked into the cupboards for a cup when she heard a faint cough behind her. Mrs. Strife turned and gasped, clutching her heart and unable to move.

Jenova stood right behind her, wearing a grin that revealed very long, sharp-looking teeth. She held a scalpel in her left hand, blood dripping down the hand onto the floor. The grin grew wider at seeing Mrs. Strife's reaction. Their noses were almost touching (Mrs. Strife couldn't comprehend how Jenova had gotten that close without her noticing), and Mrs. Strife's personal space was further invaded when Jenova leaned forward. Jenova's right arm stretched and opened the cupboard behind Mrs. Strife to grab a large cup. Jenova backed up to place the cup in the sink and open the tap.

Mrs. Strife heard a twisted intake of breath, followed by equally as disturbing laughing.

"Ehhh, ahh, ahaha." The laughing continued, even after the cup was overflowing with water. Jenova seemed to remember after what seemed like hours later and turned the tap off. Her right hand was trembling, spilling water onto the floor. The shaking quickly became violent, and Mrs. Strife thought the cup would have fallen to the floor. But Jenova shoved the cup towards Mrs. Strife, spilling water onto her front. Mrs. Strife quickly took the cup, holding it tightly. Jenova moved forward, again extremely close, to open a drawer to Mrs. Strife's left. A kitchen knife was pulled out, this time held tightly in Jenova's bloodied hand with the scalpel. Mrs. Strife held her breath and her eyes snapped shut.

No sound was heard. Jenova was backing into the darkness of the living room when Mrs. Strife tentatively cracked an eye open. A miniscule trail of blood followed her.

Mrs. Strife slowly inched towards the stairs, keeping her eyes in the direction she assumed Jenova to be in. A shadow passed, flicking the kitchen lights off. Now in complete darkness, Mrs. Strife paused again before immediately deciding that moving was the best thing in the current situation. At the top of the stairs, she sensed a presence.

"Boo." It was almost inaudible, yet loud and clear in her eardrums. The presence disappeared, and Mrs. Strife turned to see a vague silhouette being swallowed by the darkness.

Mrs. Strife began to fear for her life.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年1月27日（日）

Finished: 2013年1月31日（木）

I made it! Just in time for Final Fantasy VII's 16th anniversary, too! Today was the day it was released in Japan back in 1997. If I'm able to, I'll get a chapter out for the 16th anniversary of the release date in North America and Europe. Until then, I won't set dates for new chapters, but they'll come up whenever they feel like it.

We're going to be speeding things up a bit. The next few chapters will mainly be about Cloud growing up, along with any major events. I'm not entirely sure, but it might slow down a little bit when Cloud turns 3.

Til next time!


	5. Chapter 5

31 October 1977

Cloud stood and waddled to the dining room, grabbing onto Sephiroth's leg. Sephiroth was eating noodles, Cloud discovered. They looked good. Then again, anything eatable looked good to Cloud. Since Sephiroth was eating and nobody told him not to, Cloud wanted some, too.

"Me! Meeee!" Cloud bugged. He reached for the bowl.

"No. Go away." Sephiroth moved to the right a little.

"Meeeeeee!" Cloud whined, jumping a little. Sephiroth ignored him. Cloud pressed his face to Sephiroth's thigh and bit.

Sephiroth jumped in his seat and pushed Cloud's head away. "Being rude like that won't help you at all."

Cloud pouted and grabbed the table, trying to pull himself up.

"I said no, Cloud."

"Me! Me!"

"For the third time already: no."

"No me?"

"No. Stop it." Sephiroth scooted over to the right again. Cloud kept his grip and moved closer.

"Yes me! Me!" Cloud smiled, showing off all of his teeth.

Cloud's terrible weapon of mass surrender won. "Fine." Sephiroth grabbed some noodles with his fingers and stuck the noodles in Cloud's mouth. Cloud chewed and swallowed. He opened his mouth for more. Sephiroth kept feeding Cloud more until the bowl was empty.

"No more." Sephiroth got up to wash the dishes. Cloud waddled after him.

"More! Me more!" Cloud leaned against the counter.

"You ate half of my lunch, you butt! I'm not giving you anything else."

"No! No, no." Cloud resorted to the word he knew best.

"Cloud, you may know what no means, but you really don't know how to use it." Sephiroth sat on his haunches and flicked the toddler's nose. Cloud scrunched his face up in annoyance. He grabbed onto Sephiroth's shoulders. Sephiroth picked him up. Cloud clung to him and grew limp, like a rag doll. Being this close to Sephiroth gave Cloud the feeling of safety and serenity. It also gave him the perfect opportunity for hair pulling, which he took.

"Keep it up and I'll put you down." Cloud gave Sephiroth's hair a harder yank. Cloud found himself sitting on the floor seconds later.

"Mmmmm! Baba ba bu!" Cloud babbled angrily. He stood again and lifted his arms, opening and closing his tiny fists. "Up! Up!"

"No." Cloud moved as quickly as he could to keep up with Sephiroth. He wasn't going to let him get away so easily.

Sephiroth walked faster. The little terrorist chasing after him stumbled and fell. Cloud brought himself to a sitting position and pouted. The cuteness should bring Sephiroth back. It almost always did.

It didn't. Instead, Mrs. Strife ran to pick Cloud up.

"Up, Mama, up!" Mrs. Strife turned Cloud around in her arms, checking to see if he was hurt. Cloud wriggled, annoyed with his mother's fussing. He wished she'd be less protective of him.

"Don't let him fall like that! He could have gotten hurt!" Mrs. Strife scolded Sephiroth for the hundredth time that week.

"He's still alive," Sephiroth said nonchalantly.

"It doesn't matter – he's only a baby. Aren't you, Cloud?" Mrs. Strife cooed.

"No!" Cloud couldn't really understand the conversation, but that last part was easily understood. "No, Mama!" He squirmed, trying to loosen himself from Mrs. Strife's hold. Mrs. Strife held Cloud tighter. "Daow! Daow!"

"Looks like we have a little rebel," Sephiroth said, amused.

"No be-bah! Noooo!" Cloud hated when his mother called him a baby. He was so used to being treated like a little person by Sephiroth that "baby" was added to his list of words he disliked. "No" was at the very top.

"Cloud..." Mrs. Strife was getting tired. Cloud saw his chance.

"Daow Mamaaaaaaa..." Cloud whined. Mrs. Strife relented and set him down. Another point for Cloud.

"No be-bah," Cloud said again. He was a big boy. Big boys don't tolerate being called babies. Didn't Mama know that?

Sephiroth escaped by going up the stairs. Cloud tried going after him again, only to be picked up and held back by Mrs. Strife. Cloud kicked and squirmed. Mrs. Strife wouldn't budge this time, so he gave up. Cloud planned to save his terrorizing for later.

* * *

Sephiroth, meanwhile, planned some terrorizing of his own with his brothers. They did this every year on the 31st. Tonight was the Dead Night, which was when the townspeople shut themselves in their house by the time the sun started to set. It was currently seven in the evening, and Sephiroth, Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz decided to go down to Nibelheim early. Normally, it wasn't until near the very middle of the night that they were out.

"Any fireworks left?" Sephiroth asked.

"All I have are the loud ones," Yazoo said. "A small rocket and a Black Cat, too."

"Take the loud ones. It would bring a better reaction than anything flashy. I've got the matches."

"Should we bring the hairspray?" Loz asked.

"Bring it, just in case."

Mrs. Strife was still downstairs with Cloud when they came down, sitting with him on the couch with an open book. Cloud perked up once he saw Sephiroth.

"Seh!" Cloud couldn't say anybody's name right yet. He slid out from his mother's lap. "Seh!"

 _Go on without me,_ Sephiroth mentally told his brothers. _I'll catch up._ The trio left. Cloud grabbed onto Sephiroth's leg for the umpteenth time that day.

"Up!" Sephiroth inwardly sighed and picked Cloud up again. Like the other times before, Cloud grew limp in his arms. Cloud only did that when Sephiroth held him. Cloud kept himself upright when held by his mother; even when Sephiroth convinced Yazoo to hold him for a few seconds, Cloud still didn't react the same way he did with Sephiroth. It was strange.

Sephiroth could also hear Cloud's thoughts if he concentrated hard enough. Since Cloud had limited vocabulary, there were only a few words that Sephiroth could recognize. However, seeing through Cloud's eyes was much clearer, though Sephiroth was only able to when he let himself zone out near Cloud. Cloud seemed to be oblivious to what he was mentally capable of, except when it came to projecting his emotions. Cloud was probably aware that he was able to share his emotions with Sephiroth since day one.

"Are you leaving?" Mrs. Strife asked. She was full of questions. It was a little hard to get used to.

"Yes. We're going to Nibelheim for a while." Sephiroth lowered Cloud to the floor. Cloud looked up, frowning. The _I don't want you to leave_ feeling washed through Sephiroth.

"Aren't you a little under dressed, though?" Sephiroth was wearing the same kind of outfit he wore every day: a light jacket with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow, ripped jeans with a belt, and old boots. Definitely not something to wear in Mt. Nibel – for a normal person.

"I'll be fine. There isn't any snow out yet."

"O-okay. Be careful, dear," Mrs. Strife said. She stood to get Cloud. Cloud didn't complain when his mother held him, instead turning to look back at Sephiroth.

"We will." Sephiroth opened the door and exited the house. He walked (jogged, really) until he found the slope that was the shortcut to Nibelheim. Sliding down the steep incline, the pang of sadness hit him, the temporary separation having a big effect on Cloud. Sephiroth had never left while Cloud was up and about before.

 _I'll be back_ , he mentally said to Cloud. The sadness lessened a little and was joined with anticipation.

* * *

Mrs. Strife allowed Cloud to roam around once the door shut. Cloud ran to the door and bawled, pounding his tiny fists against it. "Seh!" Mrs. Strife picked him up again and cuddled him, trying to calm him down. Cloud kept on crying, actually shedding tears. Then he stopped and sniffled.

"It's okay, Cloud. He'll be back," Mrs. Strife reassured. Cloud leaned against her, digging his chin into her shoulder. He sighed. "Poor baby," Mrs. Strife said.

"No be-bah," Cloud said tiredly.

"Let's go take a nap. I think you need it, my cute, tired little baby."

"Noooo, no be-baaaaahhh." Cloud didn't put up much of a fight, but just seeing him attempt to rebel was adorable. Mrs. Strife smiled.

"You're still going to take a nap." Cloud used up all of his energy for that little scene. Mrs. Strife never knew he was that attached to Sephiroth. He was going to have to sneak out without Cloud knowing next time. Her poor baby couldn't go through this anymore.

"'m not tired, Mama," Cloud said when he was placed on the bed. "No nap."

"Yes nap. Maybe Sephiroth will be back when you wake up."

"No nap. See Seh." Cloud sat up and tried to move off the bed. Mrs. Strife pinned him down and lay next to him. "No nap! No!"

"Shh, Cloud. If he comes back when you're asleep, I'll wake you up, okay?" Mrs. Strife spoke slowly.

"Otay. But 'm not tired." Cloud kept nodding off.

"Yes you are. You can't fool me, Cloud."

Cloud closed his eyes and didn't open them again. His breathing evened out. Mrs. Strife sighed. Cloud was starting to be a bigger handful the older he got. He wouldn't stop moving; the only time he would keep still was when he was falling asleep. He also got into the habit of biting, though Kadaj was the one he bit the most. Already he had made himself an enemy and he barely turned one two months ago! Kadaj never tried to do anything back to Cloud, but he tried to avoid Cloud as much as possible, lest his short temper got the best of him. Mrs. Strife discovered Kadaj's short temper very quickly. He blew up over almost everything and nothing.

She had been here for a year already, and she still didn't know very much about Jenova and her family. Mrs. Strife decided that she was going to ask more questions, though this time about them. It was only right that she try to learn more about them, wasn't it? Sephiroth and his three brothers should be easy enough, though Yazoo would probably take a little more work. It was Jenova that would be difficult.

Mrs. Strife shuddered at thinking about Jenova. She was still slightly traumatized by that night, sneaking peeks at corners and behind herself when alone. The trail of blood had disappeared without a trace, and Jenova hadn't been seen since. Mrs. Strife didn't dare to leave her room at night anymore. She immediately erased the idea of getting to know Jenova from her mind and decided that finding out what she was up to would be easier.

 _But_ , her mind said, _since she doesn't ever come out anymore, wouldn't the only way to see her be at night?_ Oh no. Mrs. Strife didn't want a repeat of that terrifying time. Her curiosity, however, was overpowering that fear by a tiny bit. She gave in, and hoped it wouldn't be the end of her.

 _Not tonight_ , she decided. _It's too soon, and I don't know what she can do._ Cloud shifted in his sleep and rolled towards the wall. Mrs. Strife pulled him back towards her and lay down. A nap sounded good to her, too.

* * *

His brothers were waiting for him by the old Shinra mansion. Kadaj peeked over the stone wall.

"Took you long enough."

Sephiroth grabbed a pebble and threw it at Kadaj's head. Kadaj ducked to avoid it.

"I think you're going soft. There was a bigger one right next to it," Kadaj taunted. Yazoo and Loz's heads appeared on either side of Kadaj.

"If you seriously want a head injury, I'm pretty sure Loz and Yazoo will be happy enough to give you one."

"Oh, so now you're too good to get me yourself? Or are you just lazy?"

"Can't we start the mayhem already?" Yazoo cut in.

"Yeah, waiting was booooring," Loz said.

"How long has it been since anybody's seen the Red Ghost?" Sephiroth asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Ten, maybe twenty years," Yazoo said. "I didn't bother counting."

"Let's bring it back."

The story of the Red Ghost dated back to the 1740s. At the time, it was a miracle for anyone in Nibelheim to live past the age of thirty. Anybody past the age of forty was considered an elder, which was the position of leadership. There were five elders, the oldest being sixty-three and the youngest forty-two. The elders made the important decisions for the village and had all the power. It was on the thirty-first of October in 1748 when all of the five elders and several villagers were brutally murdered.

A woman was accused of arson after a wooden monument of the head elder was erected. The monument burned down to the ground, and the woman was hung the next morning. The whole village watched as her neck snapped. The body was hastily buried far from the village.

One of the woman's children was nearly killed not long afterward. The son was old enough to be considered a man in the eyes of the old way, but he still acted like a boy. He was infuriated with his mother's death and attempted to assassinate the head elder only to be tied at the stake. The son was beaten and left without food or water.

Then came the killings on the night of the thirty-first. The woman came back, covered in mud and dirt, holding a dagger. The head elder was the first to die. He was slashed open, his innards scattered on the dirt and some of his organs were even nailed to the wall. The rest of the elders died in a similar manner. Half of the villagers weren't as brutally killed, only a few stab wounds here and there. The woman's hands, face, torso and feet were drenched in blood. The remaining villagers swore that the woman was crying "Murder! Murder! O bloody murder!" during the massacre. The Dead Night was made into the night when the villagers paid their respects to those who died that night. The villagers retired to their homes during sundown because they claimed they heard whispers of "murder, murder, bloody murder" outside their doors. The woman was called the Red Ghost ever since because the villagers had seen her die; were certain that she was dead. There was no way she could have been alive.

Today, however, the Dead Night was celebrated to honor any family members or friends that have passed away. The story of the Red Ghost was a superstition, though going back inside early became a tradition.

It was time to test who was superstitious. Mayor Lockheart was first. He held onto old traditions more than anyone else in Nibelheim.

Sephiroth tapped on the nearest window. Kadaj banged on a window on the opposite side. They heard shuffling, then the creak of a door opening. They hid in the shadows. Mayor Lockheart was notorious for shooting anything that seemed suspicious and asking questions later. Sure enough, he had his trademark rifle in his arms. After what seemed like an eternity, the mayor went back inside and closed the door. Sephiroth ran to the window and loudly banged on it. He kneeled there, though it was a dangerous risk. Winter was taking its time, unlike last year, and there wasn't any snow at all yet. It was an inconvenience. Snow was the camouflage Sephiroth used all the time. The temperature was low enough for a sweater to be required. It was probably the only thing keeping the mayor from leaving his doorstep. Besides the holiday, of course.

Mayor Lockheart stepped out with his rifle again, this time grumbling out a warning. "H'ever it is better git out of here. I ain't afraid to use me gun."

"Murder, murder, bloody murder," Sephiroth whispered loud enough for the mayor to hear. Spehiroth slipped the matches into Yazoo's hand when he crept closer. _The roof. He won't see you there._ Yazoo nodded and moved away. He started climbing up the side of the house.

"Ain't heard that in years," the mayor said. Probably thinking out loud. His eyes were wide.

"Murder, murder! O bloody murder!" Sephiroth whispered louder.

A loud boom sounded. Yazoo had thrown the firecracker. Mayor Lockheart pulled the trigger out of reflex. Luckily, the ground was the only thing the bullet struck. Mayor Lockheart slammed the door closed in fear and embarrassment.

The rest of the townspeople were looking out their windows. They were going to be cautious for the rest of the night. Dammit. Mayor Lockheart took the fun out of everything already.

 _Let's draw him out_ , Kadaj suggested. He and Loz started ripping out the small patches of thorny plants that littered the area.

 _Not with fire._ _It'll spread everywhere,_ Sephiroth warned.

 _I see a chimney up here._ A mental image of what Yazoo saw appeared in Sephiroth's mind.

 _That'll work._ The three of them joined Yazoo on the roof. Smoke drifted through the chimney. Loz took the hairspray out of his pocket and sprayed the greens. Kadaj dumped them down the chimney. The smoke blackened and the air smelled terrible. All four jumped off the roof and strolled through the town back to the Mt. Nibel trail.

"Asshole! That idiot and his gun ruined everything," Kadaj complained.

"Yeeeeaaaahh," Loz joined in. "Who are we gonna bother now?"

Sephiroth slammed his elbow into the back of Kadaj's head. Kadaj stumbled, but quickly regained his balance.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Kadaj screeched.

"That's the head injury I owed you earlier," Sephiroth said with a smirk on his face.

"You..." Kadaj said both angrily and excitedly. "You wanna start something?" Sephiroth had been itching to pick a mock fight with his brothers for a long while.

Sephiroth sucker punched Kadaj and ran.

" _Bastard!_ " Sephiroth heard Kadaj gaining on him. He upped the speed and darted into a cave. Kadaj ran past the cave, Loz on his heels. Yazoo wasn't with them. Sephiroth felt a jab in his lower back. There he was. Sephiroth had no doubt Kadaj and Loz were hanging around close by. It was a good technique of theirs. Have the enemy think they lost you, then sneak up on them.

Sephiroth yanked Yazoo's arm and wrapped his arm around Yazoo's head. He then slammed Yazoo's head into the cave wall. A grunt was the only thing Yazoo uttered. Sephiroth released Yazoo and grabbed a nice sized rock. He walked slowly, appearing oblivious. Kadaj was on a ledge at the top of the cave's mouth, prepared to jump. Well, he was until Sephiroth lobbed the rock at him. The rock struck Kadaj in the chest and he fell. Loz attempted to barrel into Sephiroth only for Sephiroth to swing him around and throw him on top of Kadaj.

"Ow! Fat ass!"

Sephiroth chuckled, then looked around. Out of the three, Yazoo was the most dangerous. Letting him out of your sight was a bad idea.

Loz rolled off of Kadaj. The two surrounded Sephiroth, who didn't try to move. Yazoo appeared seemingly out of nowhere and blocked the remaining spot. Everybody froze. Then, the younger three charged.

Sephiroth knocked Kadaj down and grabbed onto Loz, dodging Yazoo a second too slow. Sephiroth swung Loz again, this time in Yazoo's direction. Loz managed to stop himself in time.

Sephiroth was going easy on them. They were going easy on Sephiroth. It didn't matter now.

The war games had begun.

* * *

Mrs. Strife was awakened by soft patting. Cloud was awake and patting her face.

"Up, Mama! Way up!"

It was still dark outside. Cloud wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon.

"Go daow, Mama? See Seh?"

Oh, no. Mrs. Strife had a hunch that Sephiroth wasn't back yet.

"I don't think he's back yet, Cloud."

"Go daow. See Seh back."

"No, Cloud. We can wait here."

Cloud scrunched up his face in that cute way of his. "Go daow, Mamaaaa..."

"No, Cloud." _Jenova's down there._

Cloud crawled to the edge of the bed. Mrs. Strife pulled him back. Cloud frowned and started sniffing. He was going to throw a tantrum. He was going to do anything possible to get downstairs.

"Okay, okay, Cloud. But only for a little bit," Mrs. Strife compromised. Cloud stopped his whining and smiled. Mrs. Strife scolded herself for giving in so easily. She told herself that she wasn't going to let it happen the next time.

Mrs. Strife picked up her baby boy and a book and slowly felt her way down the stairs. She quickly searched for the living room light, finding it next to the front door and flipping it on.

A hunched figure was in the dining room, which was in semi-darkness with that one light on. Jenova lifted her head, that disturbing grin on her face again. She held a knife like last time, too. Mrs. Strife froze. Cloud tried to turn around, but Mrs. Strife didn't let him. Cloud squirmed, and Mrs. Strife nearly squeezed him.

Jenova stood and made her way towards the stairs. Mrs. Strife noticed that she had a limp. When Jenova was out of sight and Mrs. Strife heard a door close, Mrs. Strife let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. She finally let Cloud down. Cloud waddled to the door and reached for the doorknob. He was tall enough to jiggle it. Cloud kept trying to get the door to open, but gave up after a while and sat down. He had a cute pout on his face.

Mrs. Strife picked Cloud up again and sat him on the couch, despite his protests. She opened the book.

"Let's read for a little until he gets back, okay?"

"'ead sory?"

"Yes. This one has a lot of different stories in it." She picked one of the many fables in the book at random and began reading.

* * *

Sephiroth stood over Yazoo, panting. They had gone all out on Sephiroth, ganging up on him and preventing him from escaping. It was the same strategy they used, and it was only avoidable when one knew what to expect. Sephiroth didn't try very hard, but he was surprised to see how his brothers worked together. It was very difficult for him to go after them, but that only made the game more fun.

It was time to go home. The game officially ended really close to the house, so it wasn't a long walk back. Sephiroth pulled Yazoo up. Kadaj and Loz stood up from where they sat.

Cloud was sitting with his mother when Sephiroth opened the door. Cloud turned, a look of elation on his face. The exact same feeling rushed through Sephiroth, though it wasn't his own.

"Seh back! Seh!" Cloud ran, almost tripping, and hugged Sephiroth's leg. Sephiroth picked him up, Cloud going limp as usual.

"Nice to see you, too, Cloud." Sephiroth glanced at Mrs. Strife. Poor woman looked exhausted still.

"You should be asleep, Cloud," Sephiroth scolded.

"'m not tired."

"Your mother is. She can only sleep when you sleep."

"Mama go sleep. 'm not tired."

"Go to sleep, Cloud."

"'m not tired."

"I won't play with you anymore if you don't go to sleep."

That did the trick. "Otay..."

Mrs. Strife looked real grateful as Sephiroth passed Cloud back to her.

Once she was out of earshot, Sephiroth turned to Kadaj. "I'm bringing a stick next time, crap head."

"Go ahead, ass crack."

Sephiroth knocked Kadaj upside the head before going to his room. The bed had never felt this good.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年2月2日 （土）

Finished: 2013年2月13日 （水）

I'm so so sorry for the late update! I've had a few things to do, but the biggest reason for the lateness was because I was attacked by a horrible disease. This particular disease affects everyone at least once in their lifetime. The disease is called _The Lazy._ If this longer chapter doesn't make you any happier, I'm willing to allow you to lock me into a closet with Jenova. Just don't open it later (it'll be gruesome). Please excuse any typos. I wanted to upload this as quickly as possible.

Looking back at Chapter 2, I realized that I made a mistake. Space Invaders (the arcade game) didn't come out until '78, and Asteroids (also an arcade game) didn't come out until the following year. Damn! I'll fix it later.

Cloud can't say "gimme", so he says "me" instead.

I'm not sure whether Mrs. Strife has figurative balls or is just plain crazy. Will curiosity kill the cat this time? I don't know. (Yes, I do know.)

Sephiroth is wearing 80s style clothes in the late 70s. He's awesome just like that.

I'll try to take less time for the next update. It isn't always easy, since I think of the next part as I go. My brain isn't helping by thinking of parts that could happen in future chapters that take place during the 80s.


	6. Chapter 6

Sephiroth slipped his arm under his bed and pulled out a long, thin object wrapped in leather. He slid the window open and wormed his way out, hanging onto the sill by one hand, the other holding the wrapped possession. He let go of the windowsill, landing on his feet with no problem.

He used to leave the town to go out in the field a few feet away much more often before Cloud and his mother came along, but he found less time after changing his sleeping pattern to be around Cloud. He stayed up all day and slept at night instead of the other way around for Cloud, actually. If he didn't admit that he wasn't getting attached to the kid, he'd be lying to himself. It had to be something about Cloud, but Sephiroth had no idea what.

The town was within sight of the area Sephiroth now stood in. He unwrapped the leather item, revealing the sword Masamune.

Originally, Masamune didn't have a name. Sephiroth was gifted with Masamune in the 88th year of the Common Era. It wasn't until around the 1500s after Extinction that he gave his sword the name of a swordsmith that was widely recognized as a legend. He was equivalent to the age of 15 when Jenova gave him Masamune and taught him how to use it. Sephiroth couldn't imagine himself using any other weapon.

Sephiroth stepped into position, holding Masamune so it arched downwards. He then slowly moved his arms to the left, then the right. Up. Down. Quick slash. A small jump here, then a stab once his feet touched the ground again. He repeated the motions, then switched to using only his left hand and started over, even mixing things up and making new techniques. He stopped a few hours later and rewrapped the leather around Masamune.

He had no worries about staying up all night when Cloud's birthday was tomorrow; he'd gone nearly a week without sleep once without feeling anything.

Sephiroth saw the window next to his was open. A pair of legs dangled above it. He scaled the wall and slid Masamune back under his bed before climbing up to the roof.

Jenova was there. Sephiroth sat next to her.

"Nice seeing you out of your cave," he said after a long silence.

"Hn."

"Surprised you're in once piece, too."

"Maybe I'll start a scavenger hunt tomorrow."

"You're terrible, you know that?"

"Well aware of it."

A wolf howl sounded in the distance. A chorus of howls joined in.

"I wonder how Kajar's doing..."

"He was fine the last time I saw him," Jenova notified.

More silence.

"I'm going to sleep. Celebration tomorrow."

"And here I was, waiting for you. Ah, well, maybe another time."

"What is it?"

"Nothing too important."

"Tell me anyways."

"I have a gift for you."

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at that. It was probably something morbidly gruesome. It wouldn't surprise him.

"It won't be ready for a while, but you might have appreciated knowing in advance." Jenova stood and walked to the edge of the roof. She jumped off.

Sephiroth sighed. He wasn't going to get any answers besides cryptic ones.

* * *

Cloud was surprisingly still asleep when Mrs. Strife rose. She smiled. At least he didn't have to sit around until she herself woke up.

"Wake up, Cloud." She shook him gently. Cloud scrunched his face up and rolled onto his back.

"Don't you know what today is, my little baby?"

"Not a bay-bah." Mrs. Strife couldn't help but giggle at that. Cloud could never understand that he was her baby no matter how old he was.

Cloud sat up sleepily.

"Can you guess what today is, Cloud?"

"Wha today?"

"It's your birthday, Cloud. You're two years old today!"

"Rea'y?"

"Yes, really. How does it feel to be two today?"

"One two free..." Cloud held up five fingers. He suddenly seemed to remember something.

"Mama, where Se'iroh?"

"I don't know, Cloud. Want to see if he's downstairs?" Cloud nodded. Mrs. Strife picked him up. She let him go at the foot of the stairs. Cloud ran through the first floor only to find nobody awake yet. He looked really disappointed.

"Not here," he said, pouting. He squirmed when Mrs. Strife picked him up again. The squirming became a little more frantic as Mrs. Strife went back upstairs. Cloud leaned over Mrs. Strife's shoulder and tried to reach for Sephiroth's door when they passed by.

"Brush your little teeth first. I'll let you wake him up after," Mrs. Strife promised.

"Don' wanna bash!" Cloud whined.

"You have to, Cloud." Mrs. Strife put him down in the bathroom and put a dollop of toothpaste on Cloud's toothbrush.

Cloud refused to open his mouth.

"It'll be over quick, okay?"

"Go see Se'iroh."

"After you brush."

Cloud gave in. Mrs. Strife allowed him to go knock on Sephiroth's door after she rinsed his mouth like she promised. Now brushing her own teeth, Mrs. Strife glanced at the mirror above the sink.

Jenova was in the doorway. Mrs. Strife turned around to face her.

"Why don't we play a game?"

"Hm?" Mrs. Strife attempted to ask.

"I have placed poison in the toothpaste you are using."

Mrs. Strife's eyes widened and she hastily rinsed. Thank goodness Cloud used a different kind.

"...the antidote is in the orange juice in the refrigerator. You have to drink every single drop for the antidote to work," Jenova continued.

Mrs. Strife was a blur when her life was on the line. She opened the fridge and dug through it, finding anything but orange juice.

"Ah, I forgot. It was in the cupboard."

Mrs. Strife wrenched the cupboard doors open and found it. She twisted the cap off then guzzled.

It tasted absolutely _horrible_. Mrs. Strife resisted the urge to spit. She panted after the quart was empty.

Jenova clapped sarcastically. "Congratulations. Your prize is the knowledge that you were never poisoned in the first place."

Mrs. Strife stared back at Jenova in disbelief. "What was all that for?!"

"To test how gullible you were. I would never have told you if you were poisoned, much less where and what the antidote was."

Mrs. Strife suddenly found the floor very interesting. She felt stupid. Jenova had a point. When Mrs. Strife looked up, Jenova was gone. Mrs. Strife couldn't comprehend how Jenova did those disappearing acts.

Cloud entered Mrs. Strife's thoughts. _I should go check on him._

* * *

Cloud ran to Sephiroth's door once his mother finally let him go. He knocked and waited for a long time (30 seconds), hearing nothing. He reached and twisted the doorknob, glad he was finally tall enough to do so.

The top half of Sephiroth's body was on the floor, covered by a blanket. Cloud uncovered Sephiroth's face and started patting him awake.

"Wake up, Se'iroh!"

Sephiroth let out an obviously fake snore.

"Wake up!"

Sephiroth snored louder. Cloud climbed up onto Sephiroth's chest and bounced twice before falling on his own butt.

"Go away..." Sephiroth's eyes were open.

"No, you wake up," Cloud bugged.

"Don't want to."

"But Mama says today's muh bir'day! Mama says that fammy and fends eat cake an do suff on bir'days." Cloud bounced on his butt.

"It's barely morning. Birthdays are celebrated in the afternoon."

"But Mama's bo'ing! I wanna do suff wi' you! Pease?"

"Get off of me and maybe I'll get up."

Maybe equals yes. Cloud considered himself victorious already. He got off of Sephiroth.

Cloud heard loud footsteps and saw a blur through Sephiroth's open door.

"Wha dat?"

"I don't know." Sephiroth had some clothes in his arms. Cloud followed him until a door was shut in his face. Cloud stood on tiptoe to twist the knob, but it wouldn't budge. He heard water running.

"You take baff? Lemme take baff wi' you!"

"Noooo, no, no," Cloud heard through the door.

"Why nah?"

"Because I said so."

Cloud frowned and pulled himself onto Sephiroth's bed to wait. When he heard someone coming up the stairs, he dived under Sephiroth's blanket on the floor and hid.

"Cloud?" It was his mother. He heard her step through the open door. "Are you in here?"

"No," Cloud replied.

"Come over here, Cloud," Mrs. Strife said firmly. He'd been discovered.

Cloud reluctantly came out of hiding and walked into his mother's open arms.

"Why do you look so grumpy? Are you okay?" They were going back downstairs. Cloud was tired of going back and forth.

"Se'iroh no take baff wi' me."

Mrs. Strife laughed. Cloud's mood soured.

"You can't do that, Cloud."

"Why not?"

"You just can't." That didn't help at all. Cloud was still confused.

He was placed into a chair at the table. "Be good so I can make us something to eat."

"Otay."

* * *

The rest of the morning dragged on slowly. Sephiroth had come downstairs shortly after Cloud finished eating his breakfast, his brothers coming down around lunchtime. It wasn't until near the evening that Jenova appeared.

"Hi, Ba," Cloud greeted. To Cloud, Jenova knew _everything._ If nobody could give him an answer to something, Cloud would try to ask her. So, after Jenova acknowledged him, Cloud asked one of the questions burning in his mind.

"How come Mama bashes my teef ei day?"

"She's just trying to protect you from the tooth goblins."

"Wha doze?"

"They're little goblins that don't have any teeth of their own. Because of that, they steal dirty teeth from people, clean them up, and stick them in their own mouths."

Now Cloud saw the importance of the three-times-a-day ritual. No stinky tooth goblin was going to get his teeth.

"Wha affabet for?" he asked next.

"Every letter means something different."

Mrs. Strife sat down at the table with everyone else. She had volunteered to wash the dishes after dinner.

"Wha A, B, C, and D for?"

"Those are easy. A is for Arson. B is for Bombs. C is for Cranioectomy gone wrong. D is for Decapitation."

Mrs. Strife looked absolutely shocked and horrified. Cloud was confused again.

"Wha all dat mea?"

"Nothing important." Cloud pouted at this. That was going to be added to his list of phrases he didn't like.

Kadaj and Loz were snickering. Sephiroth and Yazoo couldn't keep a straight face.

"How old are you again?" Sephiroth changed the subject.

"Two!" Cloud held up his right hand.

"That's five fingers, Cloud."

Cloud lowered two fingers.

"That's three."

Cloud lowered another finger.

"You got it."

Cloud beamed with pride. He felt like a genius.

Not too long later, the cake was done. It was just like last year's. Kadaj and Loz had a look of glee painted on their faces.

"Happy birthday, Cloud," Mrs. Strife said first.

"Happy birthday," Sephiroth said next.

"Happy Cake Day," Kadaj mumbled lowly. "I mean, happy birthday," he grumbled more audibly.

"Happy second year, Cloud," Jenova said.

"Happy birthday," Yazoo and Loz said. Loz didn't bother trying to say something else.

Mrs. Strife allowed Cloud to blow out the candles on his own. Mrs. Strife cut the cake and reached to her left to put it on Cloud's plate. Cloud smashed his whole hand into it, grabbed a handful, and brought it to his mouth to eat it. All the cake was consumed after a short while. The couch and TV were completely crowded after some more dish washing.

Cloud couldn't get enough of chocolate. "Chochwit mil!" he said to Sephiroth. "Pease?"

Sephiroth gave Cloud his sippy cup. Cloud drank, his eyes glued to the TV. A jazzy, familiar theme song played. Cloud abandoned his drink on the couch and stood on all fours on the floor. He put his head on the floor and lifted his butt in the air before spinning around.

"What are you doing?" Kadaj asked moodily. He was trying to watch TV, dammit!

"'m dancin'," Cloud said, still spinning. His butt hit the side of Kadaj's head.

"Quit it. You're taking up all the space, hogger."

" _You_ hogger! 'm not a hogger." Cloud stopped anyways. The classic _Pink Panther_ song was over and the episode already started.

Mrs. Strife failed in stifling her giggles. Cloud was just too funny.

Cloud reclaimed his spot on the couch and drank from the sippy cup again. He passed out on Sephiroth's lap an hour later. Mrs. Strife took Cloud upstairs and placed him on the bed before sitting on her rocking chair. Cloud was growing up so fast, and she had even less time with him now.

* * *

Started: 2013年2月15日 （金）

Finished: 2013年2月16日 （土）

Bit of a fake history lesson here, since I doubt I'll be able to explain it in future chapters. When the Planet and the Cetra were born, it was a land before time (more specifically, before anybody bothered to decide how to keep track of time. Nothing to do with the movie. :P). When the humans first came around, they decided it would be a great idea to make a way to tell time. When months, days, years, hours, etc. were first adopted, that became the first year of the Common Era. The years after Extinction were the years after the Cetra died out. Of course, the Planet is _way_ older than all of the years in the Common Era.

Jenova's pranks are worse than this. Normally. I couldn't resist sticking the alphabet joke in.

Kajar will be introduced in the future, but go ahead and guess who he is.

A little brother of mine used to say "chochwit" instead of chocolate. I haven't forgotten about it ever since.

So, it's Chapter 6 already and I _still_ don't have any ideas on an ending. This'll be a long story. (Yay?) I'm kinda focusing more on getting to 1980 anyways. I've been itching to write out what happens, but Cloud's gotta have his birthdays first. On a side note: it sometimes stinks that this takes place so far back. Cloud might've had his very own He-Man Woman Haters Club.


	7. Chapter 7

Jenova strode through the tunnels and caves of Mt. Nibel, taking detours to avoid disturbing the occasional dragon. Having an oversized reptile with wings that were nowhere near enough to be capable of flight following after would be annoying.

A gust of wind hit Jenova when she made it out into a flat, open area. A bandersnatch lay against a dead tree, its gray fur blended with a dull yellow coating the bottom of the gnarled trunk. It lifted its head and sniffed.

Jenova approached the wolf and held out her hand for it to sniff. It recognized her scent and leaned into her touch. Jenova kneeled and scratched behind its ears.

"It's been a while, Bat," she murmured. Bat closed his one eye. He had lost the other one, the right, years ago after refusing to run from a fight with a Nibel dragon. The left eye was completely clouded with a milky white color; he couldn't see out of it anymore. Jenova had let him loose in Mt. Nibel after bringing him from the North Continent. Bat had become a companion of Jenova's, though now he didn't move much anymore except to eat and drink. His old age of twelve and blindness discouraged him from any movement. Old Bat was also getting stiff joints, the injuries of the many brawls he had had coming back. Most of them were around the shoulder areas.

Jenova was surprised that Bat didn't have any form of arthritis yet, but it seemed like it was going to take hold of him soon. She was going to have to visit him more often, maybe even bring him home.

Bat yawned and licked his chops. He rolled onto his back, waving his wide, stocky legs in the air. Jenova rubbed his belly and Bat froze for a second before relaxing. A low, happy growl escaped from him. That habit hadn't gone away.

The two sat in comfortable silence with Bat's head on Jenova's lap. Jenova stood and reluctantly got ready to leave.

"See you again soon." She rubbed Bat's cheeks and gave him one last pat on the head before returning home. Her vision blurred part of the way, black spots dancing in random intervals. The sleepless nights were catching up. She quickened her pace. Going to sleep was something she didn't want to do.

* * *

Cloud was nestled in the corner. Mrs. Strife bunched up her pillow and part of the blanket and wedged Cloud between that and the wall. That would be the only thing keeping him from falling off the bed in case he moved around in his sleep.

Mrs. Strife had finally built up the courage to go downstairs at night. She still didn't know what exactly to expect, and she had nothing to defend herself with. Her only plan was to get to the knife drawer before Jenova did if anything happened.

Mrs. Strife turned the kitchen light on and stood in front of the drawer. She stared a hole into the side of the stairs, waiting for Jenova to come down.

Mrs. Strife was close to giving up until she heard the front door open. She saw a shadow stumble through before shutting the door and falling onto the couch. Mrs. Strife's curiosity led her forward, but she stopped a few feet away.

Jenova slumped forward clutched her head between her hands, panting heavily.

"...are you okay?" Mrs. Strife whispered.

Jenova sat up, looking forward. "Well enough."

"You sound tired..."

"It's expected for someone that hasn't slept in the past three months."

"Are you sick? Do you need some kind of medicine? I-I can try to help with that." Mrs. Strife's whispering hastened. She was genuinely concerned for Jenova.

"I stayed awake on purpose."

"Why?" Who in their right mind would do that?

"To stop the turtles from flying. The scarecrow wished for a brain, and the tin woodman a heart. Humpty Dumpty never explained the rest of the poem. He deserved to fall off of that wall."

That made absolutely no sense to Mrs. Strife. "But I'm pretty sure that won't happen anymore since you've stayed awake so long."

"Oh, they'll come back. Toasters don't like being dipped in water." Jenova faced Mrs. Strife, that terrifying grin revealing abnormally long teeth.

Mrs. Strife backed up until her back hit the counter. Jenova couldn't look at her without turning her body around.

Instead of that, Jenova turned her _head_ until it was completely backwards. Mrs. Strife even heard the bones popping.

"Have you any idea why a raven is like a writing desk?"

"N-no?" Mrs. Strife was starting to panic.

"I wouldn't know, either. It's not like Edgar Allan Poe wrote on both of them."

Jenova didn't move. Mrs. Strife expected her to somehow appear in the kitchen.

"'Somehow' seems to be a satisfactory answer to you." _How did she do that?_

"One question at a time, human."

"How are you able to-to move halfway across the room in a split second?"

Mrs. Strife regretted asking when Jenova's head swiveled into a normal position and Jenova stood. Mrs. Strife slid the drawer open and took a knife when Jenova started walking. The knife pointed towards Jenova, who rapidly closed the distance between them.

"Ever wondered why anything with a mind of its own is wary of the dark and shadows?" Mrs. Strife slowly shook her head.

" _Because anything can come out from them_ ," Jenova said dangerously.

Jenova muttered " _Silens_ " before wrenching the knife from Mrs. Strife's grasp. Mrs. Strife tried to scream, but no sound came out. After backing up towards the stairs, Jenova said " _Vos_ " before going up.

Mrs. Strife sat down and rocked herself a little. In the back of her mind, she swore she heard laughing.

* * *

Jenova locked the door and leaned against it, sliding down onto her knees with her face pressed against the door. With her left hand, she dug her nails into the wood, dragging her nails down to the floor, creating new marks to join the old ones littered everywhere in her room. Her right hand tightened around the knife she had taken from the human.

That stupid human. Jenova had gotten really close to killing her that time. It took a lot of restraint to stop and leave. She had felt like spilling someone else's blood after forcing herself into insomnia for so long. Blood lust was possibly the only thing keeping her weakened, starved body from collapsing.

 _Fuck it._ Jenova dug the knife into her left arm as deep as she could before quickly slashing downwards. Blood pooled on the floor. She then did the same to her neck, this time from left to right.

It wasn't unusual for her to try different suicide attempts to satiate her morbid obsession of death. It didn't really count as suicide, since she couldn't die, but it was like a more severe form of self-mutilation. She had stopped sleeping for three months (though that hasn't 'killed' her before) and stopped eating nearly a week ago. The roots and tips of her hair had turned so dark they were black. There were only a few patches of silver left.

Jenova stabbed herself a few more times, putting all of her concentration in staving off the healing before everything faded to black.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年2月17日 （日）

Finished: That same day

Super fast, but super short. Fitting some fluff in would've been extremely out of place. I swear this fic is bipolar.

"Edgar Allan Poe wrote on both of them" - Believe it or not, I got that from a YouTube comment. It was on a video titled _Alice in Wonderland_ _in 30 Seconds_ (or something like that) which showed a bunch of clips of the Mad Hatter asking the raven question throughout the video. Somebody had commented that they were similar because Edgar Allan Poe wrote on both of them. He/she won the internets that day. (Edit: After reading the first review for this chapter and after looking it up, it turns out that there wasn't ever supposed to be an answer to that riddle. Though if there was, Poe would be a good possible answer.)

Bat the bandersnatch isn't a one-time character.

Mrs. Strife still has a lot of questions she wants answered.


	8. Chapter 8

"Man, having only one TV _blows._ " Kadaj leaned over the top bunk, facing Sephiroth, who was on the floor leaning against Yazoo's bed.

"There's nothing to watch besides old reruns anyways," Yazoo said.

"Least they make time go by faster. Not making any noise at night's hard to do."

"You just want to watch the porn channels, you dirty, dirty boy," Sephiroth said mock accusingly.

"No I don't."

"Magazines aren't enough for you, little wanker?"

"Screw you! And what the hell is a wanker?"

"A word that describes you perfectly."

Kadaj glared. "Barf eater."

"Fart smeller."

"Butt slut."

"Ass whore."

It was on now.

"Bastard!" Kadaj was raising his voice.

"Faggot!"

"Shit eater!"

"Fudge packer!"

"Fruit!"

"Piss drinker!"

"Dick wad!"

Sephiroth paused for a bit, then smiled mischievously.

"Wanker," he said lowly.

That did it. Kadaj rolled off, landing on Sephiroth's legs. Sephiroth crawled out from under Kadaj and pinned him to the ground. Loz jumped on top of the both of them. Yazoo just watched with a bored look on his face.

"What the hell does that even mean?!" Kadaj choked out.

It was too crowded for any messing around in here. Sephiroth wormed his way out from between his brothers and took off down the stairs. He knew Kadaj would run after him.

"Get back here, you bitch!" he heard Kadaj screech.

* * *

Mrs. Strife rubbed her eyes and took another sip of her tea. Cloud sat next to her with his sippy cup full of juice in his mouth. A few books gave him the lift he needed to sit comfortably at the table.

Mrs. Strife struggled to stay awake. She hadn't slept a wink that night two days ago. She hadn't even wanted to go back upstairs until she remembered that Cloud was still in bed. He had still been asleep, even after Mrs. Strife unmade the wedge and settled under the covers.

Mrs. Strife had been on the alert as every second ticked by, expecting Jenova to pop out of nowhere and kill them in their sleep. To her relief, that never happened.

The next day was a normal one. Mrs. Strife managed to sleep for a few hours that night, but was still wary. Nothing happened then, either.

Now she longed to take a nap. It took forever to get Cloud to take one, so Mrs. Strife couldn't find much rest there. Her little boy spent nearly every minute he was awake on the go. She was grateful that Sephiroth was always around to play with him. Cloud wasn't very happy when Sephiroth decided to spend some time with his brothers after lunch today, but juice and some reassurances that he wouldn't be long helped keep Cloud from following after him.

A huge boom sounded, a more muffled one following after. Mrs. Strife heard many thumps and a shout before seeing Sephiroth zip down the stairs. He grabbed his boots, hopping on one foot to put them on. Kadaj came down next, chasing after Sephiroth. The two of them ran circles around the couch before standing in place and making jerks to the left and the right, trying to trick the other and capture him.

"You tell me what that means!" Kadaj yelled.

"I wanna pay, too!" Cloud jumped out of his chair, but Mrs. Strife snatched him up before he could leave the area. Cloud fidgeted and kicked. "Lemme go, Mama! I wanna go pay!"

Loz made his appearance, and Sephiroth ran outside, both Kadaj and Loz hot on his heels.

Yazoo silently made his way down the stairs and sat on the couch.

"It happens sometimes," he explained to Mrs. Strife. Mrs. Strife hoped it was only a game.

Several minutes passed before Sephiroth reentered the house, arms locked around Kadaj's upper body and Loz hanging onto Sephiroth's leg, using his weight to slow him down. Kadaj was held upside down.

"I wanna pay, too!" Cloud whined.

Sephiroth hobbled inside, Yazoo closing the door after him. Kadaj kicked furiously, trying to land a blow to Sephiroth's face. Sephiroth released Kadaj, letting him land head-first.

"Don't do that!" Loz exclaimed. "You'll make him dumber than he already is!"

"Shut it, tubby!" Kadaj retorted. He sat up, rubbing his head.

"Who are you calling tubby?!"

"You, fatso!"

"I was on your side, you meanie!"

"You didn't help much," Kadaj accused. Loz let go of Sephiroth and went after Kadaj. Sephiroth made his way to the table and let the two fight it out themselves. Yazoo just sat there on the couch.

Cloud ran and stood in front of Sephiroth after Mrs. Strife let him go. Cloud lifted his arms.

"Make me up-down!" Cloud exclaimed. "Pease?" he added.

"No, Cloud," Mrs. Strife said tiredly. There was too much excitement going on this week.

"Why not, Mama?" Cloud frowned.

Mrs. Strife was about to give Cloud a reason when she heard something sliding down the stairs. Kadaj and Loz stopped their skirmish.

Jenova slowly lifted herself up, arms wobbling. Her four sons rushed to help her up and practically dragged her to one end of the table. Jenova slumped forward carelessly. Her head bonked the table really hard. Mrs. Strife winced.

"What happened? You look terrible," Kadaj said worriedly.

"Nice to know my appearance is reflecting how I currently feel." Jenova propped her head up with her hand and leaned on it.

Mrs. Strife hadn't noticed before, but Jenova _did_ look terrible. Her eyes were dull and her face was gaunt, the black bags under her eyes making her look even more dead. Her hair looked almost nothing like it normally did. Mrs. Strife felt sorry for her until she remembered that it was self-inflicted.

"If anybody decided to hold auditions for a zombie movie, you'd fit the role perfectly," Sephiroth joked.

"Ruuuuuh," Jenova rasped.

Cloud crept close to Jenova. He tugged on her sleeve.

"Wha sombie?" he asked. Cloud hadn't perfected his z's yet.

"A walking dead man," Jenova answered.

"Ohh. Why you sombie?"

"I don't feel well."

"Sih sombie?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"To stop the turtles from flying."

"Why?"

"Because they would have taken all the sandwiches. After the sandwiches are gone, they would've put toasters in water. Toasters don't like being dipped in water." Mrs. Strife mentally shook her head. It was almost the exact same answers she'd gotten.

"Don' be sih. I sop bad tussles." Cloud puffed up his chest.

"The turtles are gone now. I should eat all the sandwiches before they come back."

"I'll get it," Sephiroth volunteered. He walked and got the bread.

"Wear a dress while you're at it." Sephiroth's brothers laughed at that.

"Can't fit in one."

"Borrow Big Bertha's, then." Sephiroth shook his head in amusement.

Mrs. Strife couldn't believe it. That couldn't have been the same woman who had terrified (and possibly had the intention of killing) her three times already, couldn't have been the one that offered salvation for a cruel price. It wasn't really Jenova who had just teased Sephiroth. It wasn't really Jenova sitting there. It had to be a completely different person – it just _had_ to be. Mrs. Strife refused to believe that the exact same person she barely started to discover was so different from the last encounter.

"Ah, I just remembered. _'Twas brillig_ -"

"No, no, no, _no_!" Kadaj interrupted.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年2月18日 （月）

Finished: 2013年2月19日 （火）

Ahh, it's even shorter than the last one! Sorry! More Cloud in the next one for sure, though.

Okay, show of unseeable hands: who really needs to know if anything bad will ever happen to Mrs. Strife? Too bad, 'cause I'm not telling.

Had to show Mrs. Strife's disbelief here. And Cloud's cute attempt at being heroic.

I'll try to make the next one longer, but there's no guarantee. No ten-day gap between this update and the next for sure, I can promise you that.


	9. Chapter 9

Jenova ran her fingers through Bat's dusty coat, lightly massaging his upper leg. The bandersnatch whined in pain. His condition was getting worse. Jenova could see his ribs through his thick fur. She decided to bring him home tonight. Having the old wolf live out the rest of his days in comfort was the least she could do.

Jenova had wanted to come earlier, but the recovery from the ill state she put herself in took quite a while. Constant eating and quick naps here and there sped things up to a certain extent, but not by enough. It was time to take action now.

Jenova pushed Bat upwards, urging him to stand. He did so without any difficulty. Jenova gently pulled him by the back of the neck in the general direction of the house. Bat moved forward, never straying from Jenova's side. He writhed and scratched when Jenova lifted him. She soothed him before opening the door to the house and going inside. Bat stopped moving, lifting his head and sniffing in curiosity. He had never been inside before.

Jenova set him down on the floor in her room. Bat had his nose glued to the floor, sniffing everything and bumping into the desk a few times. Jenova let him explore as she filled up the bathtub with warm water, leaving the door wide open to keep an eye on him.

Bat's ears erected in attention at the sound of running water. He followed the sound. Jenova grabbed him by the forelegs and dragged him towards the tub. She dipped one of Bat's paws in the water. Bat jerked himself backwards, then crept closer. He stuck his head in the tub. Jenova splashed some of the water on top of his head and stuck the front part of his body in. She held him in place when he tried to back up. Bat struggled, then eventually calmed down. Jenova slowly lifted Bat's hind legs into the tub. Bat tensed, afraid and confused. The poor animal couldn't understand what was going on.

Jenova poured small amounts of water onto Bat's back, whispering reassuring words. There wasn't anything to really wash him with, so she drizzled shampoo onto him and scrubbed out all of the dirt. Bat didn't panic, but came very close to doing so a few times. He was completely stiff, even after Jenova dried him up.

Bat curled up on the bed after Jenova lay him on there. He hungrily gobbled up the small bits of meat she gave him.

Jenova sighed and used Bat as a living pillow. If only she could take a coma...

* * *

9 May 1979

"Lemme in, Sephiroh!" Cloud cried. He pounded his fists on the door. Sephiroth had spent most of the day with Cloud before going with his brothers. Kadaj had locked the door so Cloud couldn't come in, and Mrs. Strife constantly tried to get Cloud to leave them alone for a few moments. Cloud would have none of it. His stubbornness urged him to either get Sephiroth to come back, or to find a way to be with him and his brothers, even if it meant having to be in the same room as Kadaj.

Out of everybody, Kadaj was the one Cloud liked the least. Kadaj didn't like Cloud much, either. Most squabbles started with Cloud angering Kadaj in some way and ended with Sephiroth defending Cloud. One of the biggest arguments was that Kadaj claimed that Sephiroth started to abandon his brothers for Cloud. However, if anyone were to ask Cloud, he'd say it was the other way around. Kadaj couldn't do anything to Cloud, and Cloud did as much as he could to hold that over Kadaj's head.

"Open the door!" Cloud had been there for nearly five minutes. His mother was no doubt looking for him now. She had been washing Cloud's clothes in the sink with the washboard before Cloud sneaked away. His hiding skills had improved greatly, but they wouldn't help him now that he was out in the open. Cloud was at least determined to try the best he could to get in with Sephiroth before his mother came to take him away.

"Go away!" Cloud heard Kadaj say.

"No! Lemme in!" Cloud pounded harder and added a kick.

"Get out of here!"

"Poo poo face!" Cloud yelled. He stopped his door abuse.

"Beat it, midget!"

"Let him in for two minutes." Cloud pressed his face to the door. Sephiroth had said that.

"No."

"Just for a little bit. I'll make him leave if he acts up."

" _No_."

"Let. Him. In."

The door clicked, then opened. Cloud ran inside. He made himself comfortable on Sephiroth's lap, slumping backwards. He stuck his tongue out at Kadaj. Poo on him.

"Seeing him around sometimes reminds me of when we were kids," Yazoo suddenly said. "Remember those times when all five of us had to squeeze onto one bed?"

"Oh Ramuh, they were terrible," Sephiroth said. "I remember never wanting to go to sleep – it was either the floor or the overcrowded bed. I don't know how mother was able to stand it."

"I don't remember that," Kadaj said.

"You were barely able to walk at the time; almost booger age, actually." Cloud giggled when Sephiroth said booger.

"Quiet, you," Kadaj said venomously to Cloud. Cloud glared back at Kadaj.

"Hey, remember the old Hoo-Hah story?" Loz asked.

"What's a Hoo-Hah?" Cloud thought it was a funny word.

"Nothing," Sephiroth said quickly. Cloud planned to ask Jenova about that later.

The conversation went on, switching to random topics. Cloud couldn't have been any more bored. He thought that whatever normally went on in here must have been so fun that he wasn't allowed to join. He kicked downwards in boredom.

 _Stop it_ , Cloud heard in his head. _Go with your mother if you don't want to be here anymore._ It didn't matter how bored Cloud was, he just wanted to be around Sephiroth. He said as much to the voice in his head, though not out loud.

 _Then sit still._ Cloud was compelled to obey. Another thought hit him.

"Where's the doggy?" he asked. He had seen Jenova take a big, gray and yellow, fluffy dog in and out of the house a few times before.

"It's a wolf, Cloud," Sephiroth corrected.

"Where it go? I wanna pet it."

"You can't pet it."

"Why not?"

"It bites." It must've been a mean wolf. But it was so fluffy! Who wouldn't want to pet it?

"Clooooouuuudd," he heard his mother call. She was coming to get him now. Aww, man!

Cloud pushed himself off of Sephiroth's lap and let himself out of the room. He heard Kadaj mutter something as he left.

Mrs. Strife grabbed Cloud by the hand and led him to their room.

"It's time to go to sleep now," she said.

"I don't wanna go to sleep," Cloud whined.

Mrs. Strife sighed and sat down in the rocking chair, pulling Cloud with her. Cloud liked the gently swaying, but he wished that his mother would go faster. More fun that way.

"Cloud, why do you have to bother Sephiroth so much?"

"I'm not bodderin'!" Cloud indignantly denied.

"He can't be with you all the time, dear. If he wants to go with his brothers, you should let him."

Cloud didn't want to do that. If Sephiroth wanted to go with his brothers, Cloud was gonna go, too.

"I think you're getting too attached to him," Mrs. Strife went on. "Maybe you should spend a little less time with him."

"No!" Never ever ever! He loved his mother and would do anything she asked (most of the time), but that was _never_ going to happen.

"I'm not saying you shouldn't be with Sephiroth, but I think you should spend more time with others here and not just him." That wasn't too bad. Jenova was pretty entertaining whenever she was around. However, Cloud was still set on shadowing Sephiroth. Nothing could make him change his mind.

Cloud started to get sleepy. He snuggled up against his mother. Mrs. Strife tucked him in bed and sat by his side.

* * *

"Good riddance," Kadaj muttered as Cloud left.

"What do you have against the kid?" Sephiroth was annoyed.

" _Everything._ Especially the fact that he's annoying as _hell._ "

"He's only two. Besides, you were way worse compared to Cloud back then."

"Liar."

"It's true," Yazoo said.

"You were _horrible_ as a booger. Always running around, breaking things on purpose, biting and hitting everybody for no apparent reason. In other words, an asshole. You're still an ass today, in fact," Sephiroth added.

"At least he'll be gone in two years or something," Kadaj said, ignoring the earlier statement. "I never asked mother when exactly."

"Just leave the poor kid alone. He isn't out to get you." Sephiroth had forgotten about the temporary stay. It wasn't too big a deal; he could always visit Cloud in Nibelheim if he wanted to.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年2月20日 （水）

Finished: 2013年2月22日 （金）

"Booger age" is 2-5 years old.

The Hoo-Hah isn't real. Not in this story, at least.

Ah, the irony of the last two sentences.


	10. Chapter 10

8 June 1979

Sephiroth made his way towards Nibelheim with Yazoo. Sephiroth had climbed to the roof in the early morning and stayed there (he didn't want Cloud to find out that he was going to leave), later deciding to go down to Nibelheim and invited Yazoo to come along. The two had agreed to let Kadaj and Loz stay behind. The mayhem caused today needed stealth, since dusk offered little camouflage. Mayor Lockheart had been left alone too long.

Sephiroth and Yazoo stood near the mayor's house. Yazoo climbed up and took his place by the chimney. He scanned the area and confirmed to Sephiroth that nobody was around. They needed to act quickly in case anybody decided to come out.

Yazoo lit a few firecrackers and shoved them down the chimney. Sephiroth chucked a rock through an upstairs window. Yells sounded from inside. Sephiroth hid by the side of the large house once the mayor quickly showed up, the front door still open, with his rifle.

That summer night was a warm one, no breezes running through the air. Mayor Lockheart held the rifle so it pointed in front of him, stepping out into the dirt-covered area. The innkeeper's wife opened the door curiously after hearing the racket. The other townspeople took peeks out of their windows.

"Git back inside," the mayor said in that horrible accent of his. "Troublemakers are out loose." The innkeeper's wife shut herself inside. The mayor signaled the others to go about their business. Rumors would no doubt spread.

Mayor Lockheart pointed the rifle to the left and right. He took a few steps forward.

Yazoo lit one last firecracker and threw it in front of the mayor as a distraction. Mayor Lockheart reacted just like he had almost two years ago, shooting into the ground. Sephiroth saw his chance and took off towards Mt. Nibel. Yazoo jumped off the right side of the roof and followed suit.

Mayor Lockheart reached into his pocket to pull out more ammunition – _Damned trigger-happy hick_ , Sephiroth thought – and reloaded.

"Reckon yuh won' be in one piece this time, demon!" the mayor yelled before pulling the trigger.

Sephiroth nearly had his right leg blasted off. He ran full speed for home, Yazoo nearly a few meters behind him.

* * *

Mrs. Strife sat with Cloud in the rocking chair, letting Cloud practice the few reading skills he learned. Cloud was enthusiastic when it came to words, often asking what something said after seeing it written. Mrs. Strife read most of the words in the children's book, but Cloud excitedly called out the few that he recognized. Mrs. Strife felt proud.

Cloud had spent most of the day looking for Sephiroth. Mrs. Strife assumed that Sephiroth had gone out. At least he didn't leave while Cloud was around. Better for Cloud to think that Sephiroth was hiding than for him to break down over Sephiroth's disappearance. Mrs. Strife still couldn't get over how attached Cloud was to Sephiroth; it was like Cloud had an obsession towards the man. Cloud had refused to leave Sephiroth's side. The only other person Cloud would spend time with (besides herself) was Jenova, much to Mrs. Strife's worry. She always kept a close eye on Cloud when he was around her.

Mrs. Strife tucked Cloud into bed. Cloud tried to fight his sleepiness.

"But where's Sephiroh?" Cloud asked for the umpteenth time.

"I don't know. I'll find him," Mrs. Strife promised. "You need to sleep right now."

"Nuh-uh," Cloud denied. "I'm not tired." He nodded off, nearly falling asleep. Mrs. Strife chuckled.

"I'll find him," Mrs. Strife repeated, "and I'll let you play with him in the morning if you go to sleep."

Cloud seemed to agree. He closed his eyes. Mrs. Strife waited until his breathing evened out before going downstairs.

Jenova was at the table with Kadaj and Loz. They were in the middle of a card game. Jenova had two cards in her hand, Kadaj had five, and Loz seemed to be the unlucky one, having too many to count.

Jenova put a card down. "Whale," she said.

"Mother, of all the times you've played this, why don't you ever say the right word?" Kadaj asked, sounding annoyed.

"What issue do you have against whales? They sound very nice."

"You're not supposed to say, 'whale' for the second to last card. You're supposed to say, 'mau'."

"You are not a cat, so why are you making noises like one?"

"Ugh! Never mind!" Kadaj said in frustration. He threw down his cards. Jenova snickered.

"Are you still playing?" Loz asked.

"No."

Sephiroth and Yazoo busted through the door, breathing heavily, before Loz could make his move.

"I almost got shot," Sephiroth declared. "Lockheart was bold tonight."

Mrs. Strife nearly gasped. She was shocked.

"Why would you ever do such a thing, provoking that man?! You could have been seriously hurt, or worse: killed!" Mrs. Strife screeched. "It's not funny!" she said to a laughing Kadaj.

"You've _got_ to give me the details," Kadaj said, ignoring Mrs. Strife.

"No! This isn't some achievement to be proud of! Don't you see how horrible this is?!"

Out of everybody's reactions, Jenova's horrified Mrs. Strife the most. She barely even reacted, no facial expressions or any scolding words coming from her.

"Whatever. Maybe we can get him to shoot someone's house next time," Sephiroth said nonchalantly.

"There won't be a next time! I forbid it!" Mrs. Strife couldn't comprehend how everything was being dismissed as a prank gone wrong. It was a serious matter being treated like some joke!

"Leave him be," Jenova said, referring to the mayor. "He'll have his marksmanship improved and isn't worth the trouble."

"May I have a word with you?" Mrs. Strife asked. She was going to give Jenova a piece of her mind.

"May you?"

"Would you let me?"

"Possibly."

Mrs. Strife's frustration grew. Jenova's sons left, giving them privacy.

"Sephiroth," Mrs. Strife began, enunciating each syllable slowly, "was very nearly injured and could have been killed." Maybe saying things more slowly would make the severity of the situation click in Jenova's head.

"Yes, he was and could have." Mrs. Strife's eyes widened with that nonchalant answer.

"Don't you care that your eldest son was in danger?! Though even after staying here so long and still not knowing much about you, never would I have thought that you would be like this! I'm starting to think that you _are_ as cruel as they say! I don't think you're capable of caring for anyone! Are you even capable of _love_?" Mrs. Strife questioned, panting.

"Of course I am capable of love. I love myself very, very much." Jenova had obviously said that to set Mrs. Strife off some more. It worked.

"You cruel, selfish, heartless monster! You really are nothing but a demon!"

"Silence, human!" Mrs. Strife heard a wolf-like snarl. The ancient sound in Jenova's voice returned. Mrs. Strife hadn't heard it since the very same day she had made The Deal.

Pitch black darkness engulfed everything. Mrs. Strife was only able to see Jenova, who was now standing.

Jenova looked Mrs. Strife right in the eyes with that piercing gaze. Mrs. Strife fought the urge to look away.

"If I am as cruel as you say, would you be here instead of your home, decaying? Would I have restrained myself instead of giving into urges and killing you? Would you even be here, alive and well at the moment? I could have refused you, let you freeze to death, let a dragon eat you. I could have easily cut you into pieces that no one would ever be able to guess were parts of a human instead of backing away and leaving. Even now, I am searching for a reason to let you live."

Mrs. Strife hadn't thought of that. She felt terrible.

"Sephiroth was and is my first son. I would do anything for him and his brothers. However, he is no longer a child; none of my sons are. If any of them decided to do something stupid and return with an injury, it is not something I will scold them for. That injury would teach them the hard way that what they had done was not something to be taken lightly. If any of them had died, there would be one less disgusting human in that town, possibly even none. If that is not caring, then enlighten me: what is?"

Tears ran down Mrs. Strife's face. Negative feelings crawled inside her: ignorance, guilt, and a touch of self-hate. Jenova stepped closer.

"I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU!" Mrs. Strife blurted without thinking.

"That's too bad. It only means that I should use actual effort."

Mrs. Strife let out a sob. She didn't need to be nearly killed; it was making her feel even worse.

"Do not make any more accusations without thinking. I may not have any mercy if it happens again."

Jenova slowly grew transparent, fading before Mrs. Strife's eyes. The darkness receded, revealing the downstairs rooms as they were before, only empty.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年2月23日 （土）

Finished: That same day

Another quick one! Whoo! Don't have much to say for this one, except that Cloud seems to be really lucky. He gets to sleep through the pretty scary moments.

They were originally going to play Uno, but I thought it would've been weird. The Uno you see around today didn't come until 1992, anyways, if Wikipedia's right. Mau Mau is pretty much identical.

Next chapter will be Cloud's third birthday.


	11. Chapter 11

19 August 1979

Sephiroth rolled over to face Cloud. The boy never ceased to come and wake Sephiroth up when he slept in.

"Wake up! I'm three today!" Cloud held up three fingers.

"Can't you turn three later? I'm too lazy to get out of bed right now."

"No. Get up!" Cloud climbed onto the bed and jumped on Sephiroth. Cloud didn't stop until Sephiroth snatched him and pulled him close. Sephiroth then assaulted Cloud with tickles.

Cloud squealed and giggled. "Stop it!" Sephiroth tickled Cloud harder. "Lemme go!"

Sephiroth eventually released a struggling Cloud and rolled onto his stomach. Cloud sat on Sephiroth's back and started hitting his head.

"Come on, Sephiroth! It's my birthday!"

Sephiroth made no effort towards moving.

"Fine. If you don't get up, I'll stay here," Cloud decided. He lay next to Sephiroth.

"Cloud..." Sephiroth faced Cloud again.

"What?"

"Go away," Sephiroth said playfully.

"No. I'm staying here." Cloud meant business, Sephiroth noted. His cute little face made it hard to take him seriously, though.

"Go back with your mother for a little bit. I'll get up later."

"Shhh, Mama's sleeping." Cloud held up his finger to his lips.

"She's going to wonder where you are."

"I'm not going." Cloud pouted. "Can I stay with you?"

"No. Go away."

"Please?" Cloud stuck all of his little kid charm into that last word. Sephiroth was defenseless.

"Only for a little bit," Sephiroth sighed.

Cloud cheered and snuggled up to Sephiroth. Sephiroth had the strange feeling of completeness, as if there was a void that he had never noticed before. Pushing Cloud away for a second made Sephiroth feel empty, the complete feeling returning when Cloud quickly snuggled into Sephiroth's side again. Another peculiarity to add to the list.

Serenity and contentment, strengthened by physical contact, emanated from Cloud and coursed through Sephiroth. That had been occurring since the very beginning, but was no less strange now than it was before.

Cloud and Sephiroth lay there quietly for a minute or two. The silence was broken by a question from Cloud.

"If I'm three today, then how old are you?" Sephiroth put some thought into how to answer before deciding to give an approximate number.

"I'm over four billion years old." It was the absolute truth.

"Nuh-uh!" Cloud said. "You liar. Mama said that the biggest number ever is hundred. You can't be older than hundred!"

"Alright, alright, you got me," Sephiroth said. "I'm twenty-eight." That was his age when converted to human years. It was also his permanent age. The gift Sephiroth and his brothers had was the ability to freeze their age. After doing so, however, there was absolutely no way of undoing it. Sephiroth had decided to stop aging when he turned twenty-eight, Yazoo when he turned twenty-two, Loz when he turned eighteen, and Kadaj when he turned sixteen. He didn't really know why his brothers had decided to stop so young, but Sephiroth suspected that it was because he himself had decided to.

"Ohh," Cloud said. "That's a grown up number."

Sephiroth heard Mrs. Strife's footsteps in the hallway. Cloud had left the door open. Sephiroth sat up, Cloud imitating him. He led Cloud out into the hallway where Mrs. Strife snatched Cloud up.

"Where were you, young man?" Mrs. Strife scolded.

"Was with Sephiroth, Mama. Put me down!" Cloud squirmed.

"He came to remind me what today was," Sephiroth explained.

Mrs. Strife calmed down a little. "What kind of day is it today, Cloud?" she asked him.

"It's my birthday, Mama! I'm three!" Cloud held up three fingers again.

"Well, birthday boy, how about we go downstairs?" his mother suggested.

"Okay. You come, too, Sephiroth!"

* * *

Cloud was carried down into the kitchen. He was perfectly capable of getting himself down the stairs, but his mother never allowed him to do so. Cloud would slide his butt down every step to go downstairs whenever she wasn't looking anyways.

Cloud sat at the table, waiting for breakfast. Sephiroth sat next to him, scribbling something on a piece of paper.

"What's that?" Cloud asked curiously. The paper had a lot of funny marks on it. Cloud wanted to know what they were.

"Old words that nobody uses anymore."

"What's it say?"

"Nothing."

Cloud frowned. He was sure the words said something. He was about to try to get information out of Sephiroth when he heard the door open.

Jenova came in through the door, dragging the wolf inside. Cloud ran towards the animal before Sephiroth pulled him back.

"I wanna see the wuffie!" Cloud whined.

"It bites," Sephiroth said.

"No it doesn't. It's not biting Ba," Cloud argued. If it wasn't biting her, then it wouldn't bite him.

The wolf flopped down on the floor, its legs spread out all over the place. Jenova dragged it to the corner near the door and sat down.

Cloud tried to pull away from Sephiroth. His mother joined, trying to keep him in that spot.

"Lemme _go_!" Cloud yelled. The wolf let out a short bark, growling and looking around. It tried to stand up, but was held back by Jenova. Cloud thrashed, trying to break the grip Sephiroth and Mrs. Strife had on him. He gave up soon after, his mood completely sour.

His mother sighed. She brought Cloud his plate.

"Don't want 'em," Cloud said. It wasn't fair that he couldn't go and touch the wolf. It was too fluffy to not touch.

"You have to eat, Cloud," his mother said. Cloud was going to just sit there defiantly until his stomach rumbled. He could wait until nobody was looking to sneak away.

Cloud dug his fork into a chunk of pancakes (his mother had cut them into pieces for him) and shoved it in his mouth.

"Don't you want any?" Mrs. Strife asked Sephiroth.

"I'm fine."

Cloud finished his food and looked back to the door. Jenova was still there. Good. Cloud was going to get his hands on some of that fluff, he promised himself.

"Can I pet the wuff now, Mama?"

"No, Cloud."

"Why?"

"It's not safe."

Cloud pouted. His mother didn't let him do anything.

* * *

Cloud got his chance when Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo came down towards the evening. His mother was making Cloud birthday cupcakes and Sephiroth was washing dishes. Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo were ignoring Cloud, as always.

Cloud was behaving, sitting on the couch and watching cartoons. He didn't really watch what was on TV; his mind wandered somewhere else. Specifically, the door. Jenova had taken the wolf out somewhere. He knew they had to come back sometime.

They did. Jenova took the same spot she had in the morning, pulling the Giant Fluffy (as Cloud secretly called the wolf) with her. Cloud looked over the couch and into the kitchen.

His mother was watching him closely. Cloud turned around and faced forward. He periodically checked to see if his mother was still watching him. Every single time he looked, she still had her eye on him. He bolted towards the Giant Fluffy when Mrs. Strife bent over to stick the cupcakes in the oven. Cloud sat in front of the animal, reaching his hand out to touch it.

Jenova took Cloud's hand and placed it on the wolf's stomach. The wolf twitched and growled, but was shushed by Jenova.

"It's so big and fluffy," Cloud said. The fur felt as fluffy as it looked. Cloud wanted to put his head on it, too.

"It is," Jenova agreed.

"Why won't it move?" It was just laying there, swishing its tail.

"He's old. Nothing moves much when it's old."

"Ohhh. What's his name?"

"Bat."

Cloud petted Bat for a little while longer before he heard his mother yell.

"Cloud!" She came and yanked him away.

"He's a nice wuffie, Mama! He didn't do nothin'!" Cloud was carried to the sink. His mother wet his hands and scrubbed them.

"It could have bitten you, Cloud! I only looked away for one tiny little second and you're running off! I think I'm going to have to keep you around me more often!" she scolded, now drying his hands.

"But he's nice, Mama," Cloud whined.

"No buts, Cloud. The cupcakes are almost ready. You can help me put the frosting on."

Mrs. Strife made Cloud sit at the table again. Kadaj was giving Cloud the ugliest glare Cloud had ever seen on him.

* * *

Kadaj had seemed unusually happy. Until he saw Cloud with Jenova, of course.

 _Don't start anything_ , Sephiroth warned Kadaj.

_Even if I don't start anything, the little shit and his mother are getting out of here in exactly a year, anyways._

_Oh, really?_

_Hell yeah! I asked a long time ago._

Sephiroth directed his mind towards Jenova's and asked if it was true.

 _The human leaves when Cloud turns four._ That settled it.

 _Does Cloud know about that?_ Sephiroth asked.

 _No._ If no one was going to break the news to Cloud, then Sephiroth would. But not now. There were still twelve months to go. Today was a (bittersweet) day to celebrate.

Mrs. Strife placed a plate loaded with cupcakes in the center of the table. "There's still more," she said. Holy hell did this lady make a lot.

"Happy birthday, Cloud." Mrs. Strife was beaming. Cloud seemed to have forgotten about what had put him in a lousy mood and smiled.

"Happy birthday," Sephiroth said next. He reminded himself that Nibelheim wasn't very far from here.

"Happy birthday," Yazoo and Loz said. Sephiroth and the two of them stared at Kadaj.

"Yeah, yeah, birthdays and whatever," Kadaj said, irritated.

"Happy third year, Cloud," Jenova finally said. She had been staring into space after coming back down from leaving the bandersnatch in her room, snapping out of the dream-like state when everything grew quiet.

"Thank you," Cloud said cutely with the biggest grin on his face.

Cupcakes in the house went extinct that night.

* * *

Mrs. Strife wiped the chocolate off of Cloud's face. He tried to push her hands away.

"I can do it, Mama," he protested.

"Here." She handed her son the napkin. "Clean your hands." Cloud wiped his hands on the napkin and threw it into the Can of DOOM when he was done.

Three years had passed quickly. _Too quickly_ , Mrs. Strife thought. She didn't want to give Cloud up at first, and she was completely against it now. But she had no choice. All Mrs. Strife could do now was enjoy the time she had left with him.

"Come on, Cloud." Mrs. Strife was about to lead him upstairs.

"But I wanna play with Sephiroth." Sephiroth was playing some kind of made-up game that involved the TV.

"Benny Hill show!" he exclaimed.

"Bingo!" Loz said.

"Ahh, shi- shoe! I meant shoe! I swear!" Kadaj said. Loz was doing a victory dance.

"Just-just for a little while," Mrs. Strife compromised. She kept an eye on Cloud while he sat close to Sephiroth to play a game of TV bingo.

* * *

Jenova was pleased. Cloud and Sephiroth were nearly inseparable. That part of the plan was completely perfect. The other required patience. Just one more year until Cloud was hers; only one more year until the human was to leave.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年2月25日 （月）

Finished: 2013年2月28日 （木）

Three quarters of the way done! Next few chapters will drag a little and have more Sephiroth and Cloud moments (not yaoi. Sorry, but that won't be for a while). Mrs. Strife will be extra clingy towards Cloud, too.

A (possibly) long-awaited cameo of the Can of DOOM. Yay!

Jenova was taking Bat the bandersnatch out to take a shoe.

Last update for February. See you in March! ;)


	12. Chapter 12

21 August 1979

Mrs. Strife pulled a sweater over Cloud's head and instructed him to lift his arms. He stuck them through the sleeves. The sweater was a little oversized, but it was good enough to protect him from the weather outside.

Cloud had gotten excited when he was told that everyone was going outside today. The only world he knew was the indoors, and Mrs. Strife was glad that he wasn't going to be trapped inside forever. She would let him play and explore, but not without watching him, of course.

"What's this for, Mama?" Cloud asked, tugging at his sweater. He never had to wear one before; he usually had a blanket wrapped around him whenever it got cold inside.

"It's a little cold outside. It's easier to wear a sweater instead of a blanket," she explained.

"Ohh," Cloud said. "Is it code inside because of outside?"

"Yes. Except it's a lot colder outside than in here."

Cloud looked amazed at this discovery. Mrs. Strife chuckled. Cloud was amazed with anything new he learned.

"Ready?"

"Yeah!" Cloud said eagerly. Mrs. Strife took his little hand in hers and led him down the stairs.

Sephiroth was sitting on the couch, waiting for them. Cloud ran up to him.

"We're going outside!" Cloud declared. He put his hands on Sephiroth's knee. "You're coming, too, right?"

"Yeah. I see that you're ready."

"Let's go, let's go!" Cloud said impatiently. He bounced on his feet and ran to the door. Mrs. Strife went after him, Sephiroth following. Cloud ran out when she opened the door.

* * *

It _was_ cold outside. And there were rocks everywhere. Cloud picked up nearly every rock he saw, only to reluctantly put them back down when his mother told him to. She was sitting on the porch.

"Stay close to here," his mother reminded him.

"Okay," Cloud said. At least she let Sephiroth show him around, though there wasn't anything besides rocks to play with.

"Are there more wuffies outside?" Cloud asked. "Like Bat?" He wanted to pet Bat again, but hadn't gotten the chance, always being pulled back by his mother. Maybe there were more fluffy things to pet outside.

"There are, but not the same kind as Bat," Sephiroth told him. "The Nibel wolves don't come all the way up here, anyways."

"Why?"

"There's nothing for them to eat up here. No water, either."

"But we're here. We can feed the wuffies." Cloud would have given them some of his birthday cupcakes if they had come around then. After some thought, he figured that the wolves could have drunk whatever was in the fridge. Cloud liked juice and chocolate milk, so maybe the wolves did, too.

"They bite. And when they do, they don't let go."

"Nuh-uh. Bat doesn't bite." Cloud was sure that Sephiroth only said that they bite to scare Cloud into not wanting one. If Bat wasn't going to be around, then something else that was fluffy had to be around.

"Not all wolves are like Bat. Some of them are really, really mean."

Cloud walked forward, Sephiroth trailing behind him.

"Can we go and find a nice wuff?" Cloud asked. He stopped at the edge of the part of the mountain they were at and leaned over. Sephiroth pulled him back. Cloud frowned.

"You'll fall," Sephiroth warned.

"But I wanna see," Cloud protested. Sephiroth picked him up and held him a few inches away from himself. Cloud looked down and saw a lot of pointy, spiky rocks. It looked like they hurt. He wouldn't want to fall into that.

"Are dogs nice?" Cloud asked when Sephiroth put him down near Mrs. Strife. Cloud had seen dogs on TV. They looked really friendly.

"Most of them."

"Can we get a dog, Mama?" Cloud hoped his mother would say it was okay to get a dog. The ones on TV looked really nice, so they had to be like that in real life, right?

"A dog sounds nice," his mother said. _Yay!_ Cloud said to himself. He was full of joy. If he had a dog, he'd get a really, really fluffy one and pet it all day and his mother wouldn't be able to say that it was mean because it really wasn't and he and the dog would drink juice and chocolate milk and – "...but I don't know where to find one."

Disappointment filled Cloud. "It's not fair," he said. He wasn't allowed to pet Bat; he couldn't find times where his mother wasn't looking so he could get away with petting Bat; wolves were mean biters, and they couldn't keep one because of that; and dogs were nowhere to be found here. No fair at all!

* * *

The disappointment from Cloud welled up inside Sephiroth. Cloud scowled and sat next to his mother. A bit of anger mixed in and joined the current emotion, immediately transferring to Sephiroth. It was strange how certain things said could change Cloud from bubbling with happiness to frowning and feeling more negative. Then again, Sephiroth did remember some instances where that happened to him when he was a kid.

Honestly, Sephiroth thought it was safe enough for Cloud to be around the bandersnatch as long as it was held down so it wouldn't be able to bite him. In his opinion, Cloud's mother was a little overprotective. She'd been swooping in after Cloud whenever he so much as thought of being near Bat.

He hadn't been lying when he told Cloud that Nibel wolves weren't the nicest of beasts. When provoked or threatened, Nibel wolves had a temper nasty enough to be worse than Kadaj's. Unlike the bandersnatch, the Nibel wolf was made for speed instead of strength. With long, thin legs and a tall and thin body in general, the average Nibel wolf was fast enough to be able to catch up to the swiftest of yellow chocobos. Nibel wolves used their momentum instead of their weight to bring their prey down. Those, coupled with evasion techniques, made Nibel wolves the most dangerous creature in Nibelheim. Even dragons were easier to deal with, since they never ventured far from their caves.

Once a Nibel wolf found a good spot to bite, it took a lot to persuade it to let go. Wolf attacks in Nibelheim were extremely rare, but there was always at least one person killed or maimed when they happened. There was no way Sephiroth would risk bringing one to Cloud so he could get his wish. Instead, Sephiroth had an easier and safer way to cheer the little kid up.

Sephiroth turned and walked towards the path to Nibelheim. He sensed that Cloud was on the alert now.

"Where you going?"

"To get you something. I'll be back," he promised.

"Can I go?"

"It's really far away." Sephiroth hoped Cloud would give in without much of a fight. He mentally sent reassurances and promises of his return to Cloud, trying to further persuade him to stay.

Cloud sulked, the emotion hitting Sephiroth hard. Mrs. Strife hugged Cloud, trying to comfort him. Cloud's sour mood eased a little.

"You better take me next time!" Cloud said.

 _I would if your mother was less paranoid about you,_ Sephiroth said to himself. He set off, looking for any sign of his brothers.

He was going to need a little help with this one.

* * *

Mrs. Strife rocked Cloud, patting his back a little. He wasn't crying, but he wasn't very happy, either. She hoped that whatever Sephiroth decided to bring back wasn't dangerous in any way.

Sitting out there a little longer, Mrs. Strife came to a realization: she had a chance to get out of The Deal. She could ask Sephiroth more about Mt. Nibel and where exactly the monsters would be. She couldn't recall the route she was taken through to get here, but the observation she planed to do would help remedy that.

She stepped off of the porch, still carrying Cloud, and looked up. Nothing special. She could see the window to her room, which was covered by a sheet, when she inspected the right side of the house. A tiny window occupied the space a short distance away and was followed by another normal-sized one. The tiny window belonged to the bathroom, and Mrs. Strife knew that Sephiroth's three brothers slept in the last room on the right.

"What you doing, Mama?" Cloud asked.

"I'm just looking around, dear," Mrs. Strife said. She was never, ever going to tell him. Not about The Deal. If she got away from here, she wouldn't even have to. They'd get a ride to the nearest town and, eventually, to another continent – as far away from Nibelheim as possible.

"Can I pet Bat now, Mama?"

 _Why is he asking about it?_ "No, Cloud. It can bite."

"Aww, Mama! It's a nice wuff..." Cloud whined. It was the same excuse he'd been using for the past two days. "Look, it's nice to Ba." Mrs. Strife turned around.

Jenova stared back at Mrs. Strife, the bandersnatch – _It's much bigger than I thought!_ – practically leaning against her. Jenova said nothing and went inside.

Mrs. Strife felt very vulnerable being the only person there (besides Cloud) with Jenova. She explored a little of the outdoors with Cloud, taking mental notes of the area, before going inside when the wind started to chill the air.

* * *

"Let's raid the general store."

Kadaj looked indecisive at Sephiroth's proposal. Yazoo tilted his head and Loz asked, "What for?"

"I'm going for a load of candy this time. I'll split with whoever helps." That should work as an incentive. Sephiroth couldn't get away with the raid by himself. Nobody looked away from him for even a fraction of a second when he was in Nibelheim.

"I don't know," Kadaj said. "Rock sliding, or helping out with your snack binge?" He looked out onto the steep incline behind him, sharp rocks jutting out of it. They were going to play a game of jackass again.

"Not all of the loot was for me, anyways." Sephiroth shrugged. "Go ahead and jump."

Kadaj turned sharply. "So some of it's for the kid?"

"Most of it, actually." The implication hung in the air: _I_ dare _you to say something against him._

"He can starve for all I care," Kadaj said bitterly.

Sephiroth let it go. They'd be arguing all day if he didn't. "How about you?" he asked Loz.

Loz looked back and forth between Sephiroth and Kadaj. Kadaj slowly shook his head.

"No," Loz mumbled.

Sephiroth said nothing and made his way to Nibelheim. Yazoo would follow if he wanted to.

"You're really attached to the kid, aren't you?" Yazoo said. Sephiroth could sense Kadaj's anger at Yazoo's leaving.

"I don't know why. There are some things about him and I can't really tell what all of them are," Sephiroth admitted.

"What exactly are the 'things' you do know?"

"Don't let anyone else know what I'm going to tell you next: Cloud is like us."

"In what way?"

"Mentally."

"I think it has to do with why he and his mother are here," Yazoo said thoughtfully. "Never got an explanation for that."

Sephiroth hadn't thought of it that way. It was possible.

"Try talking to him when we get back. I want to know if Cloud can communicate with anyone else." It was a little strange that nobody else picked up on Cloud's ability.

"Alright. Have you tried asking mother about it?"

"I tend to avoid anything that gives me headaches." Yazoo nodded in agreement.

They stopped at the town outskirts. Sephiroth went forward to attract attention.

The townspeople had their eyes glued onto Sephiroth. They didn't look away once. Mayor Lockheart was giving Sephiroth the worst stink eye he could. Sephiroth bet that the bastard was still fuming over his lost chance.

Sephiroth entered the general store. Yazoo creeped in after him when Sephiroth notified that it was safe to do so.

Sephiroth slowly walked to one side of the store, purposely leaning way too close to the drink fridge. The clerk watched him closely, not noticing Yazoo slinking around on the other side and occasionally dodging behind a shelf.

 _Get whatever's good and go ahead and pick some stuff for yourself_ , Sephiroth silently told his brother. He opened the fridge and took out three root beers. The clerk looked a little antsy when Sephiroth strode over to the counter, but then grew still and stern when Sephiroth slowly turned to look at the chips.

 _Done,_ Yazoo said. _Better move quick before the stuff falls. I swiped a lot._ Sephiroth grabbed a random bag of chips and went to pay for them and the drinks. Yazoo bolted out the door.

Sephiroth found Yazoo leaning against the stone wall of the Shinra Mansion. He took everything in the paper bag the clerk had quickly given him and Yazoo dumped half of the chocolates and other treats that overflowed in his arms into it. The two returned home.

Shoplifting was their nonviolent way of telling the town to go fuck itself.

* * *

Cloud ran to the door and was pulled away.

"Sephiroth's coming back, Mama! I wanna go see him outside!" Cloud protested. He had been practicing his letters with his mother when a voice popped into his head. _I'm on the way_ , it had said.

"You can wait for him in here. It's too cold for you outside." His mother sat him at the table.

Cloud could care less whether it was cold outside or not. He wanted to be with Sephiroth as soon as possible.

"What letter is this?" his mother asked, trying to distract him. She drew a stick with another stick going across the top.

"T," Cloud said. He fidgeted in his seat. His mother ignored his impatience and continued on with the rest of the letters, until Cloud eventually heard the door open.

Cloud barreled into Sephiroth, making him stumble a bit, and hugged him.

"Don't go 'way no more," Cloud said. He instinctively went limp when Sephiroth picked him up.

"But I left to get you something, remember?"

Cloud had forgotten. He noticed that Sephiroth was carrying something in his other arm.

"What is it?" Cloud asked when Sephiroth let him down. He followed Sephiroth to the table.

Sephiroth dumped a bag of stuff onto the table. He unwrapped one of the things and gave it to Cloud.

"It's chocolate," he said.

Cloud took a bite. It was good – better than chocolate milk. And there was a lot more, too. Even more chocolate bars and some other things littered the table after Yazoo came around. Cloud ate the rest of his chocolate bar.

"You want some, too, Mama?" Cloud asked.

"Maybe just one," his mother said after some thought. "You can have one more, too. I don't want you to ruin your appetite for dinner later."

Cloud groaned. Now his mother wouldn't let him eat a lot of chocolate. Maybe it would be a lot easier to get away with snacks than it would to try to pet Bat. Cloud planned to find out soon enough.

"Make sure to hide them," Sephiroth said. "There's an evil chocolate monster that likes to steal." There was a monster out to get his stuff, too?! It seemed like everyone was against him today.

Despite all that, Cloud felt that it was one of the best days he'd ever had. Sharing that day with Sephiroth made Cloud feel even better.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年3月3日 （土）

Finished: 2013年3月6日 （水）

Yay! A longer chapter!

That info on Nibel wolves might be important later...

The small things Sephiroth tries to do for Cloud. At least Sephiroth has Yazoo on his side.

Chocolate really does have a strange habit of disappearing there. The evil chocolate monster may or may not get to Cloud.

Moving on to either September or October next chapter!


	13. Chapter 13

6 September 1979

"As far as I know, there are four or five Nibel wolves, at most, lurking around Mt. Nibel. They're mostly found near the base of the mountain, near Nibelheim, or out on the plains. The dragons aren't very close to the town, but they aren't very close to where we're at, either. They're somewhere in between," Sephiroth informed Mrs. Strife. "Avoid any and all caves if you can."

Mrs. Strife had seemed really eager and interested in knowing about what monsters were nearby. Sephiroth wondered if she had had a change of heart and decided to let Cloud explore part of the mountain. He suspected that the answer was no, but damn, Cloud needed to breathe! She constantly made up some excuse to prevent him from leaving her side. Sephiroth was seriously going to steal Cloud away in the middle of the night or something similar if she kept that bullshit up. He and his brothers went unsupervised half the time and they were still alive. They weren't fragile, and Cloud wasn't, either.

"Is there any way to defend yourself against them?" Mrs. Strife asked.

This woman wanted to fight them? Sephiroth didn't know whether to admire her bravery or shake his head, assuming she did want to fight the creatures. He gave her his advice anyways, albeit with some suspicion.

"I'd recommend carrying a stick with you. The Nibel wolves are extremely fast and don't often make much noise before attacking. Keep your eyes and ears out. If one gets a hold of you, or if you've managed to find the opportunity to hit one first, go for the eyes. It never fails, except on either a really desperate or really stupid wolf. That may seem a little easy, but dragons are a different story. For those, it's best to get away as far as possible. Dragons can't move very quickly, nor do they stray far from their caves, but they can breathe fire."

"Put that down, Cloud," Mrs. Strife said suddenly. Cloud let out an "Aww!" and dropped the rock he tried to pocket without getting noticed. What the hell was wrong with keeping a rock or two? Cloud crossed his arms and pouted. Sephiroth didn't blame him.

"Those aren't the only monsters," Sephiroth said to redirect Mrs. Strife's attention. "There are Sonic Speeds near the base of the mountain. Sonic Speeds are very fast birds. They'll use their speed to knock you down, but aren't very dangerous. Just watch out for their talons." Sephiroth saw Cloud trying to pick up a rock again. _Go for it_ , Sephiroth encouraged before going on to distract Mrs. Strife again. "If you decide to take the bridge, which really isn't a good idea at all, you'll find them there, too."

"Put it down," Mrs. Strife said firmly after turning to face Cloud. Cloud fished the rock out of his pocket and angrily threw it against the ground. _Damn it_ , Sephiroth thought. He felt Cloud's frustration running through him. Poor kid was going to let it all out one day. Sephiroth was sure of it.

"There's no point in worrying about them, since nothing ever comes all the way up here," Sephiroth mentioned. Mrs. Strife had to have a reason why she wanted to know.

"No rocks, Cloud," Mrs. Strife said again. She looked awfully relieved that she'd dodged Sephiroth's unspoken question for the moment. "It's time to go inside, anyways."

Cloud, on the other hand, was _pissed._ He didn't have tantrums very often, but one was definitely brewing right then. Sephiroth could feel it coming.

* * *

Cloud was fed up. It was always "No, Cloud", "Don't do this, Cloud", "Don't do that, Cloud", "You can't play right now, Cloud, it's time for your lessons", "Why don't you let me read you a story? You can play later, Cloud", and a bunch of other stuff coming from his mother. She wasn't letting him go out and play on purpose! Whatever the reason, Cloud didn't care. He wanted her to leave him alone. He wanted to go play with rocks. He wanted to go and do something – anything – with Sephiroth. But right now...

He didn't want to go inside. His mother couldn't make him.

"I'm not going," Cloud said defiantly. He clenched his little fists and scowled. No more, no more! She was going to make him go inside and then make him practice his letters and then make him practice reading words and then make him practice writing his letters and then make him sit and listen while she read him a story and then tell him to go to sleep, 'cause it would be bedtime by the time it was all over. It was the same thing every time!

"Yes you are," his mother said sternly. Cloud turned to Sephiroth for help. Cloud was a little mad at Sephiroth for sitting there and talking to his mother about wolves, dragons, sticks, birds, and whatever else (Cloud wasn't paying much attention to the conversation) instead of playing with him. He was glad that Sephiroth tried to keep his mother busy so Cloud could pick up a rock. But poo! His mother _still_ saw him!

 _I'll wake you up really early tomorrow morning and take you out somewhere for a while without your mother knowing_ , Sephiroth told him. Cloud smiled and bounced on his feet a little. His mother gave him a surprised look.

 _There's one thing you have to do for me, though._ Cloud stopped bouncing, but kept his small smile on his face. _I need you to do what your mother says._

Cloud frowned at that. His mother's surprise increased.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Cloud didn't answer her.

 _You promise?_ Cloud trusted Sephiroth, but he wanted to hear it. Hear that he really would take him out without his mother knowing.

_I promise._

"I... I'll go inside, Mama," Cloud finally said. He was willing to give up – for now.

His mother stood up and led him inside. Sephiroth didn't move. Cloud looked back one last time. Sephiroth was looking straight ahead.

* * *

Mrs. Strife was shocked at seeing Cloud swing from upset to excited in a split second. Then he had frowned less than a moment later. What had made him do that? She mentally shook her head. She'd worry about that later.

Mrs. Strife let Cloud sit and color at the table while she contemplated what information she had gathered. The main thing she had to worry about while she escaped was the Nibel wolves. However, based on what Sephiroth said, she didn't expect to run into any. Avoiding the dragons seemed easy enough. Mrs. Strife decided to take a weapon anyways, just in case. Unfortunately, after looking out and down from the window, the ground was too far from her vantage point. There would be no other way, besides using the front door, to get out. The complete darkness at night posed another problem, too: she had no way of seeing. There weren't any flashlights or anything similar around the house, as far as she knew.

Thinking about it all made her so nervous she felt a little sick. It was so bad, she was completely paranoid about Cloud's safety. She understood why he'd be upset, but she couldn't help it. Mrs. Strife wanted her son all to herself.

The hours ticked by, and, soon, Cloud got tired. Mrs. Strife lay him down for a nap, settling in next to him. She needed to gather her thoughts and sort out her escape plan.

* * *

"Hey." Sephiroth poked Kadaj. The four of them were standing outside, in front of the house. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," Kadaj said. "It's not like you've been abandoning us or anything."

Kadaj hadn't let go of his hate for Cloud. In fact, he took even more offense to anything Cloud said or did than before.

"I haven't been abandoning you asshats," Sephiroth said. Kadaj had a habit of exaggerating.

"...you don't really do anything with us anymore," Loz said sadly.

"Yeah, you're always with that piece of crap," Kadaj muttered angrily.

"He's _not_ a piece of crap." Cloud was a really nice kid; the complete opposite from the wild beast that Kadaj was at his age.

Kadaj ignored that statement, as he usually did whenever Sephiroth defended Cloud. "He's already taken you away, and, apparently, his mother isn't good enough for him."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"He's stealing our mother away, too! Don't you get it?" Sephiroth really wanted to beat the crap out of his brother for even thinking that.

"He isn't," Yazoo cut in. Kadaj stared at him in disbelief.

"Now you're on his side, too?!"

"Not on the kid's side. But, really, mother spends much more time with the bandersnatch than she does with him. Why aren't you jealous of the animal, too?" Yazoo had a point.

"I'm not jealous of that turd," Kadaj denied quickly.

"Well, something tells me that jealousy issues is something I need to add with the things wrong with you. I thought it was only anger issues, but I guess I was wrong," Sephiroth said. The situation would've been funnier if Kadaj hadn't been harboring his hatred for so long. There have been many times where Kadaj had made it obvious that he wanted to hurt Cloud in some way.

"Fuck you! Stupid kid's been extremely annoying from the start, never ever shutting the hell up! Now he's taken you and mother!" Kadaj yelled. "Now we won't have a dictionary because that _thing_ is taking him, too!"

"Cloud is not a _thing_ and Yazoo is not a dictionary." Sephiroth was very close to attacking his brother.

"This year is passing too slowly," Kadaj said bitterly. He found himself lying on his stomach on the ground with his arm being twisted painfully behind his back.

"Take it back!" Sephiroth demanded. He lifted his right hand and punched the back of Kadaj's head.

"I'll take it back when Ifrit's balls freeze and Shiva's tits melt!" Kadaj tried to crawl out of Sephiroth's grip.

Loz wrapped his arm around Sephiroth's neck and pulled.

"Let him go!" Loz said.

"Not until he takes it back!"

"Fuck all of you! I'm not taking anything back! GET OFF!"

"Just let him go," Loz pleaded. "He's not going to stop saying things. Help me out here!" he said to Yazoo.

"I'm taking no part in this," Yazoo said. "What use would I be? After all, I'm just a _dictionary_ ," he said sarcastically.

"He takes that part back! Right, Kadaj?" Loz pulled Sephiroth harder. Sephiroth started having difficulty breathing, but he refused to get off of Kadaj. That asshole owed an apology.

Yazoo just watched the scene with a bored look on his face. He eventually pushed Loz and Sephiroth over. Kadaj quickly scrambled to his feet.

"Nothing you say about him will make stop hating the kid," Kadaj said. "I'll still count down the days until he and the nag get out of here." He stormed into the house. Loz looked between the door and his remaining brothers before deciding to stay outside, not wanting to experience Kadaj's wrath.

Sephiroth was going to make Kadaj regret it. None of the accusations Kadaj made were Cloud's fault. Idiot seemed to have forgotten that Cloud was only three.

 _I'm going to quit already._ Yazoo was referring to Cloud. Yazoo had been trying to contact Cloud for the past three weeks.

 _How much were you able to do?_ Sephiroth had already told his brother that he could feel Cloud's emotions, talk to him mentally, hear his thoughts, and see through his eyes.

_If I think hard enough, I can hear a bit of his thoughts, but that's only because I never got the hang of prying into someone's mind. I'm going to assume that it would be the exact same thing if any of us tried, besides you and mother, of course. He has to have something to do with you. If he didn't, then why are you able to interact with him so much mentally and nobody else is?_

More questions that wouldn't receive an answer. Most of those questions revolved around Cloud and his mother...

* * *

Jenova dragged the scalpel across her arm, watching the cut heal itself instantly. The human wanted to run. It could run all it wanted; Jenova could care less. All she wanted was Cloud. It took so long to make the child that losing him was out of the question.

The sun was setting and Cloud and that human were still asleep. Good. Jenova put her plan into action. She dug the scalpel into herself, cutting deeper and deeper before reaching in and ripping out a kidney. She willed the twitching organ to morph itself into Cloud's likeness and gave it a single objective: sleep. That was all the Not-Cloud had to do. What happened next was up to the human.

Jenova ghosted into the human's room, slowly pulling Cloud away from it. She replaced him with the Not-Cloud and placed an object next to the human before making her way to Sephiroth's room.

"What are you _doing_?" Sephiroth asked. Jenova placed Cloud on his bed before passing Sephiroth, who was at his desk, and leaving.

"Ask later," she said before she left the room. There was no time for answers now, cryptic or not. The human was going to wake up soon.

She sat in her room again, back against the locked door, scratching behind Bat's ears. Jenova was going to see just exactly how desperate the human was. If it died, Jenova wouldn't care. It wouldn't be going against The Deal if its escape ended badly.

_Run, rabbit. Run._

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年3月7日 （木）

Finished: 2013年3月11日 （月）

Ended on a bit of a cliffy. Sorry! Mrs. Strife's escape attempt will be in the next chapter for sure. I'll explain more on what Jenova means by that second to last sentence then, too. Hehe, Jenova isn't stupid.

Fun fact: I've always thought Jenova would be psycho if she moved around and talked (well, more than she did in the original game). Don't know why. Has anybody wondered if her insanity has passed on to her children?

One last thing: I know I haven't mentioned it since Chapter 2, but I really appreciate the feedback. Even a new follow or favorite makes me eager to work on the next chapter! I'm going to take this moment to be a total bitch, though. REVIEW! Review or Mrs. Strife _dies_! *holds key to cage Jenova is currently locked in*


	14. Chapter 14

Mrs. Strife quickly sat up. She felt something roll and touch her left side. She picked up the cylindrical object, running her fingers down the length before finding a switch.

A stream of light hit the bed before Mrs. Strife turned the flashlight off. Cloud let out a heavy sigh and rolled a bit.

Mrs. Strife had everything she needed to leave. The sun was nearly gone for the day, a flashlight was in her hands, and Cloud was, surprisingly, still asleep. She stuck her head out the door, finding nobody in the hallway. After quickly checking downstairs, she saw nobody there, either.

Everything was perfect. _Too perfect_ , her mind added. Mrs. Strife dismissed the thought and brought out the furs from the closet. She used most of the furs to make a crude sling, then put the rest on. Cloud was small enough to fit into the sling, which Mrs. Strife was very thankful for.

Preparations finished, Mrs. Strife grabbed the flashlight and felt her way down the stairs, turning the light on once she was outside.

* * *

Cloud stirred, stretching his arms and legs before rolling onto his side. He noticed that he was in Sephiroth's room without his mother for some reason. He immediately forgot about that as soon as he saw Sephiroth sitting at a desk, scribbling something on a piece of paper. Cloud slid off the bed and stuck his head under Sephiroth's arm to see.

"A chocobo!" Cloud exclaimed. The drawing was half finished, but Cloud easily recognized the huge beak, happy expression, and feathery body. "Can you make me one, too?"

"You can have this one when it's done," Sephiroth said. Cloud was overjoyed. Chocobos had become his favorite animal, surpassing anything fluffy. When he really thought about it, chocobos did look kind of fluffy. What he really liked most about chocobos, however, was how they always looked happy and their many colors. The different colors gave Cloud the freedom to give chocobo pictures any color he wanted without breaking the "rules" of coloring (number one being stay in the lines and two being that certain things have their own color, such as the sky always being blue and no other color).

"Are there rainbow chocobos?" Cloud had to know. He'd been wanting to find something to use all of his crayons on at once.

"No." Sephiroth worked on the chocobo's legs. He scooted backwards a little to let Cloud sit on his lap.

"Really?" Cloud leaned forward. He started to think about what color to use on the chocobo instead. Green or blue? Or what about yellow?

"Yes. You can still color it whatever you want, even if chocobos aren't really that color." One of the legs was almost done.

Cloud was slightly amazed. "So the grass doesn't have to be green? Snow doesn't have to be white?"

"Nope. You can do whatever you want with coloring. There aren't any rules for it, like most people say."

Cloud imagined a rainbow chocobo standing on purple snow with a light green sky and red clouds over it. That sounded great to him.

"Make it say, 'Wark!'," Cloud said. That was the sound that chocobos made, so this one had to make the same sound, too.

Sephiroth drew a speech bubble and wrote "Wark!" inside it.

"Are you excited for tomorrow?" Sephiroth asked.

Cloud was brimming with anticipation. "Yeah!"

"You're going to have to go back to sleep in a bit. We're leaving really early and it's a long walk."

Cloud was too excited to go to sleep. He wanted Sephiroth to take him out _now_.

"Are there chocobos outside?" Cloud wanted to see one in person. He wanted to pet it and and ride it. Maybe they could even keep it, since everybody had told him that chocobos were friendly.

"They're really, really far away." Sephiroth finished drawing both of the chocobo's legs and worked on the tail feathers. "I can find one for you, but not tomorrow."

But Cloud didn't want to wait for that, either. He wanted to see a real chocobo _now_.

"Why not tomorrow?" Cloud pouted. "Make clouds, too," he said when Sephiroth finished drawing the bird.

"It takes a really long time to get to where the chocobos are, and then I have to bring it all the way over here." Sephiroth quickly drew six clouds and put the pencil down. "I'd have to leave you here, too."

"Why?"

"Because I don't have any other way to find a chocobo besides walking." Cloud grabbed the paper and slid off of Sephiroth's lap.

"There are still lots of other things to see besides chocobos," Sephiroth said. He walked over to the bed and threw himself on it, letting one leg dangle over the edge.

"You'll show me tomorrow?" Cloud climbed up and sat next to Sephiroth's head. Cloud wasn't tired at all, but he liked spending time with Sephiroth whether they played or not.

"I will. Just like I promised."

* * *

Everything was going well so far. Mrs. Strife easily found her way to the Mako spring, which illuminated the whole cave enough to where she could see part of the tunnel leading to the area divided by stalactites and stalagmites. She turned off the flashlight to save the battery and checked on her son.

Cloud had been asleep for an abnormally long time. Mrs. Strife started to worry. He was always awake before or a short time after she was when they napped or actually slept. Cloud was breathing steadily and occasionally moved a bit. Mrs. Strife contemplated on whether to wake him up before deciding not to. It would be easier for both of them, especially Cloud. He wouldn't have to know that they were leaving everything: their possessions, "home", and his only friend. Cloud had been in that house almost his entire life; to him, it was home. Sephiroth was Cloud's only friend, the only one besides Mrs. Strife that seemed to actually care about him.

Mrs. Strife was sad to have to separate the two. She would have let Sephiroth know about her escape plan, but she didn't want to risk having Jenova find out. Mrs. Strife was willing to abandon all of her possessions, even her photo album which meant everything to her, for Cloud. Her son was more important than anything else.

Mrs. Strife turned her attention to the remaining part of the journey. She had stopped long enough. Walking to the tunnel and using her stick for some support, she turned the flashlight back on when it became too dark to see.

While it did offer some visuals, the flashlight barely helped at all with seeing. Mrs. Strife mainly kept her eyes on the rocky ground, but looked from wall to wall every few moments. She shined the light into a cave. Not seeing anything, she slowly and cautiously walked into it.

A dragon hissed and reared its head. Mrs. Strife stood petrified. The large reptile took a menacing step forward. Its dark green scales and purple underbelly blended into the darkness. The head was the only part of it that was visible due to Mrs. Strife training the small beam of light onto it. The dragon hissed again and whipped out its tail, attempting to trip Mrs. Strife who had snapped out of it and was slowly backing away. Mrs. Strife jumped over the limb, stumbling a bit after her feet touched the ground again. She moved faster, exiting the cave. She avoided the walls, not wanting to give the dragon a chance to corner her.

The dragon snarled and opened its mouth wide. Mrs. Strife realized that her simple weapon would be unable to do anything at all. Instead of trying to fight back, she turned and ran blindly, passing through the first opening she saw. The flames came very close to burning Cloud and Mrs. Strife quickly turned to the left, still running. The dragon followed, then stopped.

That opening was the one that led outside. The wind, colder now than it was earlier, blew against Mrs. Strife. The dragon eyed Mrs. Strife for a while before moving its large body back into the caves, apparently deciding that Mrs. Strife wasn't worth the trouble. Mrs. Strife leaned forward, hands on her knees, and panted. She looked back at Cloud, finding him asleep.

There had to be something wrong. Nobody could have slept through that.

Mrs. Strife undid the sling and gently shook Cloud. No response. She gave him a harder shake.

"So close, dragon. So, so close. It just wasn't your night, was it?"

Mrs. Strife froze and frantically waved the flashlight around, looking for the source of that horribly familiar voice.

"Poor little rabbit," the voice said mockingly. Mrs. Strife looked up. A large part of Mt. Nibel, about the same size as the one in front of the cave's mouth, jutted out above Mrs. Strife. Jenova dropped down from that ledge, landing a few feet away from Mrs. Strife.

"Surrounded by a single predator and its tricks, the rabbit runs..." Mrs. Strife noticed that Jenova wasn't wearing that cloak anymore. Replacing the cloak was a jumpsuit, but not a jumpsuit; it wasn't tight enough to really be considered one. What had warranted that change?

"Will it make it home? Will it live to see another day in freedom? Run, rabbit. _Run_." Mrs. Strife didn't like what that little story was saying. She shined the light onto Jenova's face. Jenova turned her head to the side, but did nothing else.

"If you really want to run, then run. I won't stop you."

It had to be a trap. Mrs. Strife didn't believe her.

"Go on, go home." Jenova stepped closer. "I was only looking for my kidney. Tricky little thing ran off again."

Mrs. Strife held Cloud close to herself. Jenova could spew nonsense all she wanted. There was no way Mrs. Strife was going to give Cloud up.

Mrs. Strife took a few steps backward. She kept her right had up, pointing both the stick and the light at Jenova. Cloud was draped over her left shoulder with Mrs. Strife's left hand supporting him.

"There it is!" Jenova exclaimed, moving forward again.

"Y-you can't have him!" Mrs. Strife couldn't comprehend why Jenova was calling Cloud a kidney.

"I don't see why you would want that old thing. Are your own organs not enough for you?"

"He's not a kidney!" Mrs. Strife moved back a little more.

Jenova moved forward again. Every step backward Mrs. Strife took was another step forward for Jenova.

"You can't have him!" Mrs. Strife repeated. "I'd rather _die_ than let you take him!"

"Would you, really? It's a shame that I can't help you with that."

"W-what?" Mrs. Strife didn't understand.

"Isn't it obvious? I can't kill you. It would be going against The Deal, you know."

"How would that be going against it?" Mrs. Strife was confused. If being killed would result in Jenova going against The Deal, then why did those nights happen?

"And the terrible memory of a human kicks in." Mrs. Strife stopped and so did Jenova. "Allow me to remind you of what we agreed on nearly three years ago."

Mrs. Strife listened intently and tried to remember what she could.

"The Deal was that, in exchange for your son, I would allow you to take shelter up there –" Jenova gestured to the top of Mt. Nibel "– and raise him until his fourth birthday. Not only that, I had also said that both he and you would be safe. That included safety against anything I would do. Apparently, the part where you would have to give up your child was the only thing that stayed in your mind. As for those nights, you had caught me at a bad time."

That made sense, and it added up to what Mrs. Strife could remember. But then why was she threatened?

"Oh human, now you want to take my source of entertainment. It had happened very few times, yet each time was better than the last."

Jenova had said that like it was all a joke. Mrs. Strife was not amused at all.

"Wait... wasn't there more to The Deal than that?" Mrs. Strife decided to ignore that last statement. She faintly remembered a few more details.

"Very good, human," Jenova said, praising Mrs. Strife like she was a dog. "I had agreed to assist you in any way you needed once you returned to that town after the four year deadline. Whether you would need food or materials, I would provide them. There was also the reassurance that you would still be able to see Cloud every so often by then, too. And that's it."

That added up, too. But it did not matter anymore. Mrs. Strife was still going to get away, even if she died trying. Since Mrs. Strife was going against The Deal, Jenova wasn't restricted by it anymore. Mrs. Strife was still going to try no matter what.

"I have been standing idle with you for too long. I'll just take my kidney back and be on my way."

Mrs. Strife started to back away at that. She found herself on her back with an aching head and Cloud snatched away from her. Jenova held Cloud by one of his arms. Cloud still wasn't moving.

Mrs. Strife stood up as quickly as she could. Her head pounded from the impact against the rocky ground.

"I don't see why you want it so badly. I suppose I can let you borrow it." Jenova launched Cloud at Mrs. Strife. Mrs. Strife held out her arms to catch him when, suddenly, he changed.

A wet, squishy object collided with Mrs. Strife's face, bouncing off of her and landing on the ground. Mrs. Strife stared down at the organ in shock. If that was with her the whole time...

"Where's Cloud?" The shock started to wear off and she breathed frantically.

"Never would have thought that you would leave your own child so soon. You had eleven months and thirteen days left."

"I'm not going anywhere! What did you do to him?!" Mrs. Strife screeched. She kicked the kidney off the ledge.

"Absolutely nothing. He's in a safe place. But he doesn't really matter to you anymore, does he?" Jenova mocked.

"Cloud means everything to me! Tell me where he is!" Tears ran down Mrs. Strife's cheeks.

But Jenova said nothing. She instead jumped off the ledge.

Mrs. Strife ran desperately up the mountain, fearing the worst.

* * *

"Go to sleep, big butt." Sephiroth pulled Cloud by the toes, dragging him to a lying position. Cloud had been excitedly asking questions about tomorrow. Sephiroth was surprised that he wasn't running around like crazy.

"I'm not tired. And you're the big butt!" Cloud turned so his feet faced Sephiroth and wiggled his toes in Sephiroth's face, silently daring Sephiroth to pull them again.

"Get your cheesy feet out of my face." Sephiroth pushed Cloud's feet away.

"They don't smell like cheese!" Cloud pouted.

"Yes they do."

"No they don't."

"Yes they do."

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

Sephiroth pulled Cloud by the legs and assaulted the boy with tickles. Cloud giggled and squealed. He stopped squirming and tried to push Sephiroth off.

"Don't get mad at me when I wake you up tomorrow," Sephiroth warned, releasing Cloud. "I'm telling you, it would be a good idea if you went to sleep now and not later."

Sephiroth sensed Jenova's return. He bombarded her with questions, refusing to let her weasel her way out of it.

_Where were you? You still haven't explained why you left Cloud here._

_He was being suffocated. Wouldn't you agree that staying with someone else for a short amount of time would be good for him?_

Sephiroth did agree. But something didn't fit.

_His mother would've woken up and started looking for him._

_So she would. If she wasn't out trying to find the path to Nibelheim, that is._

Cloud jumped on Sephiroth.

"Can I stay with you?" Cloud asked, sticking his face in front of Sephiroth's.

"Hold on." _What did you do?_

_Nothing._

_What. Did. You. Do._

_I kicked a little rock cat and sent it to the moon, then followed it after realizing the little bastard had stolen my kidney. Now I'm back, and toasters will fall out of the sky next week._

Sephiroth felt a headache coming on.

"Can I stay with you?" Cloud asked again. "Please?" he whined.

"Hold on a bit. I'm still trying to decide." _You better not do anything to her._

_Other than putting that human to sleep, I don't have anything planned._

_Why put her to sleep?_

_Cloud needs to go out, get dirty, do what you kids used to do. Things like that._

Cloud was getting impatient. He used Sephiroth's chest as a drum.

 _I'll get you later_ , Sephiroth promised. He knew she was going to keep it up all night.

_I look forward to it._

Sephiroth knocked Cloud off of himself and onto the bed. "You can stay if you get ready to sleep right now."

Cloud hastily buried himself under the covers.

"Will tomorrow be fun?"

"Cloud..."

"What?"

"I don't like you," Sephiroth said playfully. He hoped that Cloud understood that it was a joke.

Cloud did. "Too bad, 'cause I like you. You're my best friend."

Sephiroth couldn't help it. His heart melted a little.

"We'll have lots of fun tomorrow." Sephiroth stood and turned off the light, slipping under the covers with Cloud afterwards. Cloud snuggled into Sephiroth's side.

Sephiroth had a strange feeling. He felt complete, like a part of him had been missing. He stared up at the ceiling for a while, not knowing that Cloud felt the exact same way.

* * *

Jenova had finished the painful process of reinserting her kidney by the time she ended the mental conversation with Sephiroth. All she did now was wait.

Eventually, the human did return. Jenova waited for it to come up the stairs and plunged the area into darkness. Only the floor of the room the human stayed in was visible; even the walls were nonexistent.

The human warily looked from side to side.

"Where is Cloud?" it asked demandingly.

"Hmm... It appears that I've misplaced him." Jenova wanted to see how the human would react to that.

It was outraged. "Where is he?! What did you do to him?!" The exact same questions. Quite repetitive. The human didn't wait for an answer and simply ran in a random direction, soon coming back to the spot it started in.

"What a small world," Jenova commented. The human ran in a different direction only to have the same result. The human's reactions were _hilarious_. Running around in circles like a caged animal, expecting to actually get anywhere...

The human sobbed angrily. It sank to its knees and pounded the floor with its fists.

No more reactions came from the human. Jenova quickly grew bored.

"I think it's time you slept."

The human looked up with hurt, anger, and confusion in its eyes. Jenova stared into those eyes, prodding the human's mind with the need for sleep.

" _Nemu_ ," Jenova said. The human fell over completely. Jenova let the normal world return, leaving the human on the floor as it was.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年3月12日 （火）

Finished: 2013年3月15日 （金）

Anybody who's played _Silent Hill_ or at least watched a walkthrough of it (like I have) can probably get a better picture of Mrs. Strife's journey down and back up Mt. Nibel. Gah, that game was horrible! And by horrible, I mean horribly scary. o.o

And so, a week from then, Nibelheim had a new holiday. It was Toaster Day, and everyone celebrated it by making lots and lots of toast. Getting free kitchen appliances is something to celebrate.

Mrs. Strife's a fighter. She really loves Cloud and won't give him up. There's no way she can get out of The Deal, but she'll still fight even then!

Next time: Cloud's tour of the outdoors. See ya then!

(Last thing: I'm thinking of writing another fic to tell about Sephiroth's childhood and more of how he grew up. I won't start on it until this one gets to where The Deal is carried out, though.)


	15. Chapter 15

7 September 1979

"Wake up."

"Don't wanna."

Sephiroth shook Cloud a little harder. "Wake up, cheesy feet."

"Nooooo," Cloud whined, trying to pull the covers over himself.

"Don't you want to go outside today?" Sephiroth gave Cloud that reminder as an incentive to get up.

"But I'm tired."

Sephiroth pulled the blanket off of Cloud and picked him up, positioning him over his shoulder. He slowly walked down the stairs and sat Cloud down at the table. Cloud lay his arms down and used them as a pillow. Poor kid couldn't handle waking up at five in the morning.

Sephiroth ruffled Cloud's hair before going into the kitchen to make breakfast. Some food should wake Cloud up a bit.

* * *

Cloud really wanted to go back to sleep with Sephiroth. Sephiroth was super warm, and Cloud had slept much better and more comfortably with him than with his own mother. Being awake so early made him very cranky and put him in a bad mood – nothing like the sweet-tempered and talkative boy he normally was.

Cloud let out an annoyed grunt when Sephiroth nudged his head with something. He whined unintelligibly when Sephiroth lifted his head, pushed his arms down, and slid a plate of scrambled eggs in front of him.

"Here," Sephiroth said, handing Cloud a spoon.

"Don't want it." Cloud pushed Sephiroth's hand away. He wanted to go back to sleep!

"You have to eat, Cloud." Sephiroth pried Cloud's right hand open and made him hold the spoon.

Cloud wasn't happy. His mood was only getting worse.

"I don't wanna!"

"You should've gone to sleep earlier. I told you I was going to wake you up early."

Cloud sulked. Sephiroth _did_ tell him that. But it was Sephiroth's fault for waking him up before the sun was even out. Couldn't they have gone later?

Sephiroth sighed, having heard Cloud's thoughts. "Just eat a little. It might help wake you up."

Cloud slowly and tiredly shoveled the eggs into his mouth and ate them. Sephiroth sat across from Cloud and practically inhaled his own food.

"I'm tired," Cloud whined again. His plate was half empty, bits of egg speckled all over it. He pushed the plate and spoon away, laying his head on the table again after the dish was a good distance away.

"I know, I know," Sephiroth said. He pushed Cloud's plate back towards him. "Finish it. I need to go get some things."

"What things?" Cloud picked the spoon up and looked down at his food. He wondered if eggs were really little white and yellow food pillows.

"Some snacks and your shoes. You can't go outside without your shoes." Sephiroth took his plate to the sink and left it there before heading towards the stairs.

Cloud turned to watch him leave. "Can you bring a bed, too?" he asked.

"Nope."

"Aww!"

* * *

Sephiroth chuckled to himself. He understood Cloud's crankiness and couldn't get upset. It was actually a little funny to discover another side of him just by doing something as minor as waking him up extra early. Cloud would cheer up soon. He never could stay angry for long.

Sephiroth opened the door to Cloud's room, intending to retrieve some of Cloud's things. He walked into the room and froze.

Cloud's mother was lying on the floor, her face crushed against it. Sephiroth rushed forward.

She was taking heavy breaths, but not making any other movement. Sephiroth shook his head, feeling sympathy for her. He hoisted her onto the bed and rearranged her body into a comfortable position. He peeled off the furs wrapped around her, wrinkling his nose at the scent of sweat. Mrs. Strife was completely drenched.

Sephiroth changed his mind. He wasn't going after his mother when he returned from Cloud's day out.

He was going after her right now.

Jenova was staring at the ceiling when he stormed in. She didn't acknowledge Sephiroth and held the bandersnatch down to prevent it from jumping at Sephiroth.

"What did you do to her?" Sephiroth asked slowly.

"Put it to sleep. Thought the evidence was obvious enough," Jenova said simply.

"What else?"

"Fluffed up my pillow and stayed how you see me now." Said 'pillow' growled when Sephiroth stepped close. Jenova shushed the wolf.

Sephiroth knew Jenova wasn't lying. It was very difficult to catch her when she did so, but Sephiroth didn't see even a hint of the signs.

"Before that?"

"Put it to sleep," Jenova repeated.

"And that?" Sephiroth was now right by her side.

"Found it traversing the mountain with my kidney. Never found out why it would want that nearly useless thing."

"Why would she be around the mountains?" His mother was intentionally omitting something.

"I went too far." Jenova sat up, this time staring at the wall. Sephiroth backed up a bit to give her some space. He waited.

Jenova turned and looked Sephiroth in the eyes. "I wonder... If I scare it badly enough for the second time, do you think it'll run again?" She laughed.

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. "Don't call her an 'it'." He'd had enough of that.

"A human by any name is still a human," Jenova said with some contempt.

"She's more than what you say she is."

"Is it?"

"She is. You better not do anything else to her. Whatever happened last night won't be a repeat."

"Won't it?"

"It won't," Sephiroth said firmly. He would defend Mrs. Strife himself.

"We'll see..." Jenova said ominously.

Mrs. Strife was going to have to hang in there. Sephiroth vowed to do what he could to help her.

"I'll be watching you." Sephiroth turned to leave.

"Good to know," was the last thing he heard before he shut the door.

Sephiroth sighed. Jenova was unshakeable when there was information she didn't want to reveal. He shook his head, bringing his thoughts back to Cloud.

He rummaged through the closet, finding a pair of socks and shoes and Cloud's sweater. The bag of chocolates and other treats caught his eye. Peering through the bag, he discovered half of the chocolates gone. Sephiroth had only seen Cloud and his mother eat four or five, so that meant one thing.

The chocolate thief had struck. Crap. He'd have to deal with that later.

Sephiroth grabbed a handful and took a backpack from his room, stuffing the chocolates and some other candies inside. He was going to stuff Cloud full of junk food.

Cloud had fallen asleep at the table by the time Sephiroth came back down. Sephiroth poked his arm and Cloud quickly jumped to life, slowly opening his eyes.

"Wha too' so long?" he grumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"Sorry." Sephiroth set the backpack down. "I'm almost done. Just a few more things and we can go."

* * *

Cloud watched as Sephiroth made some sandwiches for later. He felt much more awake after Sephiroth had helped him brush his teeth, rubbed water onto his face, and got him ready to go outside.

"Can I bring chocolate milk?" he asked.

"I have something better." Sephiroth took a brown can out of the fridge. Cloud was never allowed to drink what was in the can. His mother wouldn't give a reason other than "It's not good for you."

"What is it?" It didn't look like there was any chocolate milk in there.

"Root beer."

"What's that?"

"It's a soda." Sephiroth stuffed the can and sandwiches into the backpack. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah!" Cloud opened the front door himself and waited impatiently for Sephiroth to catch up. Sephiroth was going so slow! Cloud wanted him to hurry up so they could go see the grass and the blue sky (it was always gray up here) and the clouds and-and everything! He was going to explode if Sephiroth didn't hurry.

"Calm down, you crazy kid!" Sephiroth smiled down at him. He swung the backpack over one shoulder, closed the door, and picked Cloud up, sitting the boy on his shoulders.

Cloud's body instinctively grew limp, like he always did when Sephiroth held him, and he slumped forward a bit over Sephiroth's head.

"Why do you do that?" The small swaying motions Sephiroth made while walking hypnotized Cloud a little.

"I don't know," Cloud said truthfully. He eagerly looked from side to side, being on Sephiroth's shoulders granting him access to seeing everything. Was this how being tall was like?

"You're weird," Sephiroth said playfully.

Cloud smacked the top of Sephiroth's head. " _You're_ weird!" he shot back. Sephiroth laughed at that.

The caves weren't very special; they looked exactly like the ground, except standing up. Cloud fidgeted a little. His bladder was complaining.

"I-I gotta pee."

"Why didn't you go before?" Sephiroth put Cloud down.

"'Cause I didn't have to go then!" Cloud put his hands on his peepee and frantically looked around. "Where's the bathroom?"

"There isn't one."

"What?!" Cloud looked up at Sephiroth. "Why?"

"Because there aren't any outside." Sephiroth looked like he wanted to laugh. Cloud didn't think it was funny. "Just pee right there." Sephiroth pointed at the cave wall.

"But – !" Was it really okay to pee outside? He remembered when his mother had him potty trained. She said that he was to use the bathroom only in a toilet.

"It's okay to pee outside. I do it sometimes." If Sephiroth did it, then it wouldn't be bad if Cloud did, too.

Cloud followed after Sephiroth when he finished his business. The rest of the trip was pretty boring until Sephiroth led Cloud out of the caves and to an edge of the mountain.

Cloud looked down the slope. It looked like a giant slide made out of rocks. Cloud was starting to think that anything could be made out of rocks. The mountain they were on was really one giant rock, Cloud realized. There was nothing but rocks, rocks, rocks!

Sephiroth lifted Cloud, holding him tightly with his arms before sliding down the giant rock ( _ROCKS! Nothing but rocks!_ Cloud sang to himself) slide.

It was scary. Cloud screamed a little. They were going too fast! It wasn't until they got towards the bottom that Cloud finally got used to the speed and started to enjoy himself. They were still going too fast. Cloud found himself on flat ground (which was made of something besides _rocks_ ) too soon.

"Let's do it again!" Cloud tried to climb up the slope only to slip. Sephiroth got him to his feet.

"You can't climb up there." Sephiroth grabbed Cloud's hand and led him through a long dirt path.

"Why not?"

"It's too steep. No matter how hard anybody tries, they'll keep slipping."

"But how will we go back up?" Cloud asked. It was fun so far, but, as much as Cloud didn't want to, they'd have to go back home eventually.

"There's another way," Sephiroth explained. "The slide was a shortcut. The normal way takes a lot longer to pass through." The biggest and longest wall Cloud had ever seen came into view. Sephiroth sat down against the wall and opened the backpack. Cloud sat next to him.

"I think now is a good time for a snack."

Cloud was starving. He hungrily munched on the ham sandwich Sephiroth gave him. Sandwiches never tasted any better than they did then.

Sephiroth opened a bag of chips. Cloud curiously reached into the bag, pulled out a chip, and ate it.

It tasted great. Cloud finished his sandwich and ate half of the chips. Sephiroth ate the other half and bulldozed through three sandwiches. Cloud was overjoyed when Sephiroth unwrapped a chocolate bar and let him have it. The slightly melted candy tasted as great as ever. There was no such thing as too much chocolate for Cloud. He ate two bars in a row.

"Chocolate face," Sephiroth said. He pulled out a napkin and rubbed Cloud's face with it.

"Is there more?"

"I'm saving them for later."

Cloud pouted. He really wanted more chocolate and said as much to Sephiroth.

"If you eat all of the chocolate now, there won't be any more later."

Cloud didn't care about that. He still wanted more chocolate. He was going to argue some more until Sephiroth pulled out the brown soda can.

* * *

Sephiroth knew that Cloud was going to keep on fighting for chocolate. The kid had eaten only a few in his short lifetime and he was already addicted. Sephiroth liked that Cloud wasn't easily taken down, but he didn't want to argue with him at the moment. He pulled out the can of root beer to redirect his attention.

Cloud's eyes were glued on the soda. Success!

Sephiroth held the can away from Cloud and himself (in case it exploded) and popped it open. The click and fizzy noises made Cloud jump a little. Sephiroth watched as Cloud slowly took a small sip. The little boy's face scrunched up and he coughed once. He took another drink, this time a bright expression taking over his features.

"The bubbles are good!" Cloud exclaimed. He downed the rest of the root beer in seconds and looked expectantly at Sephiroth.

"I don't have any more," Sephiroth said truthfully. Cloud pouted. "I can get more later. Don't tell your mother I let you drink root beer."

"I won't tell Mama," Cloud promised.

Sephiroth ruffled Cloud's hair and led him towards the plains, using an obscure road as a detour around Nibelheim. He didn't want Cloud to see the hate the townspeople had towards himself; he was too young.

Cloud's eyes wandered everywhere. He was amazed by the simple things: the sound of birds, the grass, the clouds. Hell, he even had fun with dirt! His hands and fingers were completely covered in dirt from the constant sifting he did. Sephiroth inwardly shook his head. It would have been so much better if Cloud had gotten the chance to explore the outdoors a lot sooner. Sephiroth pitied him.

Preventing Cloud from straying too far from Sephiroth was very difficult. Just as Cloud was amazed by everything, he was also excited by everything. Sephiroth made a mental note to himself.

Junk food was drugs to kids.

Sephiroth managed to burn off most of Cloud's energy by teaching him the old games he used to play. Cloud chased after Sephiroth when they played tag, rolled around with him on the grass, and numerous other things.

The two of sat on the plains, Sephiroth scanning the distance every few seconds for wolves. Cloud looked up at the sky.

"Clouds look fluffy. Do they ever come down?" he asked.

"They're called fog when they do."

"What's fog like?"

"Wet. And it's hard to see through it."

"Oh," Cloud said, disappointed.

Cloud asked various questions about nature, Sephiroth giving the best answers he could. Too soon, it seemed, Sephiroth caught the scent of rain.

"Time to go." He stood up and lifted Cloud onto his shoulders again. They had to move fast. No matter what the season, it never rained in Mt. Nibel (except near the base), the water droplets turning to ice and snow due to the high elevation. If Cloud got wet now, he would definitely be in a bad situation on the way home.

Sephiroth ignored Cloud's protests and ran towards the mountain, again taking the detours through Nibelheim.

* * *

Cloud had been having a wonderful time. He had learned so many things and Sephiroth's games were fun. Sephiroth had even let him pick up sticks, rocks, and grass to keep as 'souvenirs'. The only unpleasant thing Cloud felt were his aching feet from all the walking, running, and playing. Even so, he didn't want to go back home. Never ever ever.

"Don't go back home!" Cloud begged for the umpteenth time. Sephiroth didn't listen, just kept on running. Being on Sephiroth's shoulders and going at a fast speed would have been fun if they hadn't been going in the direction Cloud was dreading.

At first, the swaying motions had been very soothing, but now, as Sephiroth was moving very quickly, Cloud suddenly felt himself getting sick.

"I feel funny," Cloud whined. His stomach felt weird and the world was spinning too fast.

Sephiroth slowed down to a walk. "What's wrong?"

"It's spinning." The funny feeling was slowly going away.

"Are you okay?"

"No more spinning," Cloud said after a short while. The weird feeling in his stomach was almost completely gone, too.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

Sephiroth sped up again, but he went at a much slower pace than that crazy blur speed. Cloud didn't feel weird at all with Sephiroth's current pacing, so he concluded that moving really, really fast made the world spin and made stomachs feel funny.

Cloud gave up on trying to get Sephiroth to turn around. The journey back up the mountain took much longer than going down. It got really cold and white things fell from the sky.

Sephiroth took off his jacket and wrapped it around Cloud. The jacket felt just as warm from Sephiroth's body heat as the blanket did that morning. Cloud nearly fell asleep until Sephiroth passed by a weird tree cave (as Cloud instantly named it) with a pretty glowing thing lighting it up. Cloud asked many questions about the two things, but Sephiroth didn't answer; he said he would explain when they got home.

And they did get home. That glowing thing was stuck in Cloud's head, drowning out any other thoughts, even when his feet ached and his stomach rumbled. However, one thing did catch Cloud's attention very quickly.

Mrs. Strife came down the stairs, sobbing. When she saw Cloud, she ran towards him, fell to her knees, and nearly squeezed the life out of him, crying even harder.

"What's wrong, Mama?"

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年3月19日 （火）

Finished: 2013年3月23日 （土）

I'm back! Sorry for the delay. The weather in my area has been extremely bipolar recently. Really hot weather makes me feel sick and exhausted (even more so when I'm outside for a long time), and the temperature had changed from a pleasantly cool 60-70-something degrees Fahrenheit to 98 degrees F in one single day. O_O I'm going to blame Spring Break a little, too, since going back to 'real life' isn't easy after having a whole week of laziness (and fanfic writing!). I'm not making any promises, but the updates should come a bit quicker.

I've been going back and editing the previous chapters. Other than chapters one and two, I haven't changed any details and just fixed up the typos. I don't really read a chapter before submitting it (my brain goes on hyperspeed no matter what I do), so when I went back and reread them, I found a typo. And another one. And another! And ANOTHER! GAH! (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ The worst one was Chapter 14. I'll fix it soon.


	16. Chapter 16

Mrs. Strife picked up her son, hugging him close. He was filthy; his face, sweater, and hair were full of dirt and a blade of grass was stuck next to a twig in his hair. But Mrs. Strife didn't care about that at all.

Cloud was alive and in one piece. He had been with Sephiroth the whole time. Most importantly, he had been _safe_.

"What's wrong, Mama?" Cloud repeated. He started to sniff. "Don't cry. You make me want to cry."

Mrs. Strife wiped her eyes with one hand. She put Cloud down. Sephiroth looked on, a look of sympathy on his face.

"I was asleep, and when I woke up, you were gone." Mrs. Strife scrambled to find a way to tell the whole story without mentioning what had happened last night. "I looked everywhere, but I couldn't find you. I got scared."

Cloud hugged and buried his face into her legs. "I was with Sephiroth, Mama. We played outside. I'm sorry." He started to cry.

"It's okay," she said, trying to comfort him. "Just tell me next time so that way I'll know where you are. You can still go and play outside as long as either I'm with you or Sephiroth is with you. How about that?" Mrs. Strife said reluctantly. She didn't want him to go outside again. It didn't happen this time, but what if he got hurt? What if he got sick? What if he never came home?

What if he _died_?

"Okay," Cloud mumbled. He pulled away to rub at his face with his sleeve. Mrs. Strife stopped him.

"Your sweater is dirty." Mrs. Strife started to make her way to the kitchen before Sephiroth offered her a napkin. She accepted it and wiped Cloud's face. Cloud stood there and let her without any complaint.

"Did you have fun?" Mrs. Strife asked when she finished. Cloud nodded vigorously.

"Yeah!" he said excitedly. "Right, Sephiroth?"

Sephiroth nodded. He kept looking at Mrs. Strife like he knew that she was hiding something. Mrs. Strife nearly shuddered.

"That's good. But look at how dirty you got!" She gestured mainly to Cloud's sweater. "Do you know what that means?"

"We get to go outside again?"

Sephiroth snorted and Mrs. Strife tried very hard to stifle her giggles. Cloud looked confused.

"It means that you need a bath."

"But I don't wanna! I wanna go outside again!"

"It's cold outside now." Sephiroth picked up the black jacket that had fallen from Cloud's shoulders when Mrs. Strife had picked him up. He threw it over his shoulder, joining it with what looked like a backpack. "You really do need a bath."

"But you're dirty too. You gotta take a bath if I gotta," Cloud argued.

"I do," Sephiroth agreed. He went up the stairs.

"Bath time for you, too." She took Cloud's grimy hand and brought him to their room. Cloud dragged his feet and tried to pull away.

"I don't wanna take a bath!" he whined.

"You have to." Mrs. Strife tried, with difficulty, to pick out an outfit for Cloud. Cloud fought to escape from his mother's grip, but he wasn't trying very hard. It took much less persuasion and patience to get him to cooperate than usual.

Cloud pouted. "Okay," he said, defeated. Mrs. Strife slowly released his hand, turning away to rummage through the clothes when she was reassured that he wouldn't run off.

"Mama?" Cloud sat on the toilet seat, lifting his leg up so Mrs. Strife could take off his socks and shoes. Mrs. Strife wondered just what exactly Cloud and Sephiroth had been doing. Cloud managed to get dirt everywhere on himself; even the bottoms of his white socks were an earthy color.

"Yes?" Mrs. Strife placed the shoes against the wall and busied herself with getting the bath water ready.

"Are you still sad?"

"No. I was scared before because I couldn't find you. Now that you're here, I'm not scared anymore." She stood up after the tub was filled.

"Don't be sad or scared anymore, mama. I won't go nowhere." Mrs. Strife was absolutely surprised by how guilty he sounded.

"Don't worry about it." She really didn't want her son to feel bad over anything. It wasn't his fault that he wanted to go outside. If anybody was to blame for this, it was Sephiroth for not letting her know in advance. After thinking about it, Mrs. Strife really would have protested against it. She couldn't help it; Cloud was the only loved one she had left. She didn't want to lose him.

Cloud appeared less down. He had an excited look on his face, as if he remembered something.

"Can Sephiroth get me some beer? He said he would bring me more."

Mrs. Strife was shocked. "He let you drink beer?!"

* * *

31 October 1979

Cloud stood outside the door to the room that Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo shared. He had tried to sneak into Sephiroth's room the first chance he got, but all he found was an empty room. He had seen no trace of Sephiroth the rest of the day. Mrs. Strife had made Cloud practice his reading and writing skills for a little bit and allowed him to take a break as long as he was within calling distance. Upstairs didn't seem too far away from the table downstairs to Cloud, so he decided to look for Sephiroth.

Cloud needed more drawings to color. He also needed to know just where Sephiroth had been this whole time. He was going to get mad if he ran away to go with his brothers without taking him, too.

Cloud hoped that Kadaj wasn't in the room (the dirty poop eater was the meanest, baddest, rottenest person Cloud had ever met) and entered, not bothering to knock on the door. Sephiroth never minded, so it was probably okay to do the same here.

Loz was building something on the floor; something out of things that stayed stuck together when connected. It was a small castle. Loz, after smooshing the last block on top of another, placed random little figures on certain sections of the castle. Most of the figures were little green soldiers, but animals filled in the empty sections. A little car stood guard at the bottom of the castle. Cloud took the car.

"That's mine," Loz said sternly. Cloud put the car back down.

"Where did Sephiroth go?" Cloud asked, remembering what he came for.

"I don't know." Loz stood a cat figure next to the car. Cloud really wanted to grab the car and stick the cat inside so the cat could drive it. "Do you know where he is?" Loz asked Yazoo.

Yazoo shook his head. He flipped a page in his book while sitting on the bed. The book had a picture of three people and a house on it. Cloud made out the word _The_ , but could barely read the rest of the letters covered by Yazoo's fingers. _S-H-I-N..._ Cloud couldn't see the rest.

"Can you talk?" Cloud asked. He had never ever heard Yazoo say anything 'cept for "Happy birthday".

Yazoo shook his head again.

"I can teach you to talk!" Happy birthday was probably the only thing Yazoo could say. Cloud decided to start with easy words. "Can you say um.. uh.." Cloud looked around before catching a glimpse of the cat toy. "Cat! Say cat!"

"C-c-aaah..."

Close enough. "Now say dog!" Maybe if Yazoo could say dog, a real dog would appear. Cloud hoped Yazoo could say dog.

"D-d-d-d-"

"You're funny," Loz said, laughing really hard. He offered Cloud the car. Cloud took it happily, glad that he had made another friend.

Cloud and Loz made up a story in which a cat wizard with a mighty car sidekick fought for the castle ruled by green soldiers and wild animals. Although Cloud was having fun, he'd rather do something with Sephiroth. His mind wandered towards where Sephiroth could be, coming back to the present when Loz tensed.

"I think you'd better go," he said nervously.

"Why?"

"Kadaj is coming back."

"So? He can't do nothin'." Kadaj had never been able to do anything to him before; somebody, usually Sephiroth, would defend Cloud and make Kadaj go away.

Cloud heard the door open. He turned and saw Kadaj who stared back menacingly.

"Get out," he said slowly.

Cloud crossed his arms and pouted. "No." Kadaj couldn't make him do anything. He wanted to stay and that was what he was going to do.

"Nobody wants you in here."

Yazoo looked up from his book, peering cautiously at Kadaj.

"That's not true!" Cloud exclaimed. "I was playing with Loz."

"Oh, really?" Kadaj glared at Loz. Loz tried to make himself as small as possible. "Well, he wants you to go now. He really hates you."

"No I don't," Loz mumbled.

"Yes he does." Kadaj grew livid.

"Sorry," Loz quietly said to Cloud. He looked extremely guilty.

Cloud still didn't move. He wasn't going anywhere. Upon seeing that, Kadaj forcefully grabbed Cloud by the arm and dragged him to the door. Cloud desperately pulled back, but Kadaj was too strong.

Yazoo yanked Kadaj and held him in place. "Let him go," he commanded.

Kadaj refused. Instead, he shoved Cloud out the door. Cloud tried to stop and ended up tripping. His head and nose exploded with pain after hitting the opposite wall and the floor.

It hurt. It hurt a lot. Cloud had never felt anything like it. He screamed, squeezing out tears as he ran down the stairs calling for his mother. He didn't hear the fighting going on behind him.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年3月27日 （水）

Finished: 2013年3月29日 （金）

It's-it's short! Gah! It would've been longer, but I felt that I've held onto it too long. Don't worry, Kadaj will get his punishment.

Quick heads up: I have a few major things to do on the first and second, so the next chapter may take a while. I'll try to get another one out quickly if I can.


	17. Chapter 17

Quick note: Alright, this is the _real_ Chapter 17. Not a joke this time. Sorry for the April Fool's trick. I'm surprised I managed to get this one out just a few hours later. o_o

Oh, and JollyBigSis: Wish granted! ;)

* * *

Jenova rummaged through the human's things, finding a large literature book full of short stories. She flipped through the pages, then looked through the human's other books before deciding to take the literature book instead. It was bigger and must have been more difficult to obtain. Therefore, it was more valuable.

What she planned to do was tame. She decided to test just how much Sephiroth was set on defending that human. She had left it in peace, though Sephiroth did stay alert during the late hours to make sure that she didn't try anything. Jenova was going to teach him that no time of day was safe.

Jenova turned to leave when another book caught her eye. She flipped through that one, finding photographs of the human, its partner, and Cloud. The photo album joined the other book in Jenova's arms. She heard Cloud pass by, waited until she heard a door open, and silently creeped down the stairs. Placing the valuables at the foot of the stairs, she went back up to retrieve what she needed next.

* * *

Mrs. Strife sat in her chair after granting Cloud permission to roam around the house. She still felt burdened from that day. Sephiroth had questioned her multiple times, trying to find out what happened. Despite the variations of "what did she do", Mrs. Strife refused to answer. She was sure that he had gotten Jenova's side of the story first. If what happened between herself and Jenova was going to be kept that way, that was fine by Mrs. Strife. She had gotten Cloud into The Deal herself, and, as much as she denied, there were consequences – consequences she had to suffer for. She had nearly given in and spilled everything quite a few times. She would've felt much less terrible with someone on her side, but he couldn't know about The Deal. Never, if Mrs. Strife had anything to say about it. Yet, with Cloud a permanent addition to the household, he was definitely going to know.

Everybody was going to know. And she felt like a horrible person, almost as bad as Jenova.

Mrs. Strife wrung her hands before she was grabbed from behind and ripped from her depressing thoughts. A hand clamped over her mouth before she could scream, and she was wrenched out of her seat. Mrs. Strife thrashed, yelling as hard as she could. She attempted to bite the hand, but it stayed. Mrs. Strife kicked furiously as she was half lifted, half dragged away. She bit harder. Everything grew dark as she was shoved into a tiny space.

* * *

Jenova opened the door and dragged the chest her sons would use in their little trap game outside. She released it once they were at the side of the house and sat on it. The human had managed to flip over and was pounding and pushing at the lid. It had lifted the lid an inch or two a couple of times before letting the lid fall back into place.

Jenova made herself comfortable, then looked through the large book again, this time giving the stories within some actual attention. It would take a short while for Sephiroth to come back, so she had some time to kill. Boring, boring, boring, boring, bor– wait, what was that one?

The title practically popped out at her; it was in such a large font. Holy shit. _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland_. Jenova was so happy she could piss rabbits. However, that changed nearly a second later. It was a shortened version. So shortened it couldn't even be considered abridged. Aside from the very beginning, the only parts included were The Pool of Tears and the trial at the very end. Jenova was absolutely pissed now. What about the race? Or where Alice gets stuck in a house? Or the caterpillar with the hookah? Or the Mad Tea Party? Or the duchess and the pig baby? The scene with Gryphon and the Mock Turtle? The Carpenter and the Walrus? The more missing parts Jenova listed, the more pissed off she became. The illustrations differing from the original was the last straw. Those pages were the first to go.

Jenova took hold of all of the pages of that abomination of an adaptation and pulled. Off with its non-existing head!

Jenova decided to save the pages for the time being and looked through the human's photo album once again, finding something else to destroy. She looked every single picture over with a critical eye before deciding to have a little mercy on the human. Just this once.

Ignoring the weaker pushes the human made, Jenova loudly declared, "What a nice wedding it must have been. But it's so bright and _disgusting._ Allow me to get rid of this one for you."

"No, nonononono, please, _please_ no!" Jenova heard faintly. She took a smaller stack of the loose pages she had torn and tore those in half as close to the chest as possible so the human could hear. She laughed hysterically at the yells that followed.

"Oh, look: this one appears as if it was taken days after Cloud's birth. How did you manage to get someone to take it?" Jenova ripped one of the halves into another half, reveling in the human's despair. She continued ripping all of the pages until numerous scraps were left.

"There's no more. How terrible," Jenova said, disappointed. "Are you running out of air yet?" she taunted.

"Let me out!" The human attacked the tops and sides of the chest with as much strength physically possible for it to use.

Jenova ignored the human and made herself get lost in thought, idly ripping out pages from the large book. Sephiroth was taking longer than expected. Ah, well, he'd still arrive before the human suffocated. In fact, she could sense that he had already passed the Mako spring. What a fun game this was going to be.

Turning to grimmer thoughts, Jenova thought about Bat. He–

"Quiet. I'm thinking," Jenova said in response to the scratching noises the human made.

Back to Bat. He wasn't–

"Quieeeet. I'm _thinking,_ " Jenova hissed, slamming a fist down. The scratches paused for a few seconds before resuming. "Make your fingers bleed all you want. They'll definitely be more help to you than before," she said condescendingly. She got off the chest, holding the destroyed book and the photo album, and flipped it upside down when the human kept on.

Silence came from the overturned box of wood. Finally. Jenova started to think about the bandersnatch's worsening condition when Sephiroth came up the path. Ahh, dammit! She'd have to think later.

"What are you doing?" Sephiroth asked suspiciously. He held a plastic bag in his left hand.

"What _am_ I doing?"

Sephiroth lowered the bag to the floor, releasing it, and stepped closer. "What's in there?"

"Air." Jenova scooted to the far end of the chest as Sephiroth leaned forward, placing his hands on it.

"And...? What else?" He was starting to get annoyed. The annoyance changed to surprise as the human frantically started to beat at the chest, though the pounding wasn't as loud or as strong as before.

Sephiroth looked up, obviously not pleased. Jenova grinned at him and slid off when Sephiroth yanked at the chest. Jenova yanked back, not letting him help the human without a fight. Sephiroth tried nearly everything – he pulled the chest up, tried to flip it on its side, pushed it, pulled it – but nothing was very effective. He was putting nearly all of his strength in it, too.

The game of tug-o-war continued, Jenova overpowering Sephiroth with each pull. Suddenly, she rushed forward and knocked Sephiroth down, squishing him with the chest. Lying on top of the object, she stared down at him.

Sephiroth was furious. He obviously wasn't enjoying the game. Jenova didn't resist when he rolled and flipped everything on top of him on their side. He quickly stood up and wrenched the lid open, pulling the human out.

The human was sweating a little and panting heavily. She looked at Sephiroth like he was her savior, numerous thank you's escaping from her lips.

Jenova laughed at everything, not caring at either of the angry faces looking back at her. The human was especially upset when it found its book in horrible condition and its album on the ground. It looked very relieved, however, when it at discovering that the album was perfectly intact.

Sephiroth was about to say something when all three heard screaming.

* * *

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck! Today was a really shitty day. He had left to bring Cloud some more treats to stuff him with, and his mother's tormenting Mrs. Strife was what he came home to. The day got even shittier once he discovered the source of the scream.

He and Mrs. Strife ran like their asses were on fire; even Jenova moved at a faster pace than normal. A red-faced, tear-drenched Cloud greeted them, running towards his mother and sobbing. Mrs. Strife looked like she wanted to join him in crying.

"It hurts, Mama! It _hurts_!" Cloud cried. Part of his forehead was a blackish-purple; a huge bruise had already formed.

"What happened?" Mrs. Strife asked, nearly panicking. The closest Cloud had ever gotten to getting hurt was falling, but he had always been able to catch himself with his hands. Even when he first started walking there was someone around to stop him from landing.

"It was 'Daj!"

Mrs. Strife's eyes widened. The concerned look on Jenova's face changed to a dark one. Sephiroth didn't wait around for any more details. He sprinted up the stairs and stormed into his brothers' room.

Yazoo and Loz were pinning down a thrashing Kadaj. Several cuts and bruises that marred his face healed and faded. Yazoo, who was holding down Kadaj's arms, released Kadaj's left arm and twisted the right, almost breaking it. Kadaj grit his teeth in pain and violently pulled his brother's hair. Loz let go of Kadaj's legs and slammed his elbow into Kada's balls.

"AAAHH!" Kadaj cried out. He couldn't hold that one in.

Sephiroth decided that his brothers had punished Kadaj enough. It was his turn.

Silently instructing Loz to pin Kadaj's legs again, Sephiroth approached Kadaj, looking down at him. Kadaj looked up menacingly at Sephiroth.

Saying nothing, Sephiroth brought his foot back and slammed it into Kadaj's ribs, hearing a crack. Loz and Yazoo released Kadaj, who clutched at his ribs in a fetal position. The three left him there and went downstairs.

Cloud lay on the couch with his head on his mother's lap, still crying, though not as hard as before. His nose was red and the bruise covered half of his forehead. Mrs. Strife rubbed at it and Cloud cried out.

"Do you want me to make it better?" she asked. Cloud nodded quickly. She kissed him on the forehead. Cloud looked disappointed, as if to say, "That didn't help at all." He sat up to look at Sephiroth.

"You, too," Cloud demanded. Sephiroth bent over to place a kiss on Cloud's head, feeling awkward as he did so (Jenova never ever expressed affection towards him or his brothers that way). Cloud still appeared disappointed.

Jenova leaned over from the back of the couch and towards Cloud. She ignored Mrs. Strife's look of horror and rubbed at Cloud's forehead. The bruise and most of the redness disappeared and reappeared on Jenova, healing afterwards.

Cloud touched his head and nose. "Doesn't hurt," he said, surprised. Mrs. Strife looked between him and Jenova with disbelief.

"What happened?" Jenova asked Loz and Yazoo.

"Kadaj was being a meanie!" Loz said.

"...he grabbed the kid and threw him," Yazoo elaborated.

"Hey, you _can_ talk!" Cloud exclaimed. "How come you said you couldn't?"

"Because I didn't feel like it," Yazoo said simply.

"What did you do to him?" Jenova asked, referring to Kadaj.

"I got him where it hurts!" Loz said with pride.

"Nearly broke his arm," Yazoo said.

Sephiroth stayed silent. He waited until Kadaj finally came down before he said his testimony. "One or two of his ribs is broken."

Kadaj stood as far away as possible from everybody without going back up the stairs. Sephiroth held his breath as he waited for his mother to deliver her verdict.

"You've had enough punishment," she said. _What the hell?! That's_ bullshit _!_ "But –," she interjected, stopping anybody from saying anything whether it was positive or negative, " – there is room for one more." Kadaj appeared slightly nervous, but he stubbornly kept the angry look on his face.

Jenova pointed to the front door. "Out," she said.

"What?" Kadaj said in disbelief.

"Out," Jenova repeated.

"But I- he's -!" Kadaj sputtered.

"I. Don't. Care. He is _three_ years old. You do _not_ take advantage of him because he is too young to be able to defend himself. You know better."

Kadaj tried to argue some more, but Jenova would have none of it.

"Out."

Kadaj huffed angrily and practically stomped to the door. "When do I –"

"When I say so."

Cloud and Mrs. Strife flinched when Kadaj slammed the door behind himself.

* * *

Kadaj was boiling with rage. That rage erupted when he saw a bag of snacks that he knew were for that piece of shit. He walked far, stopping in a secluded area, and launched the bag off the side of the mountain.

It was all that bitch's fault. If it weren't for that dumb broad, everything would've been normal. Instead of his whole family turning against him, he would've been devising a plan to terrorize Nibelheim with his brothers, and they would've caused mayhem, just like they always did. Now he was stuck out here. His expulsion could last between a week and the rest of eternity. He couldn't go back inside, no matter what. If he had to eat, he'd have to hunt down an animal and kill it. If he had to shit, he'd have to find a place outside to fucking shit. If he was tired, he'd have to sleep on the damn rocks. If he wanted just a little bit of social interaction, whether it's a fight or an argument or even something peaceful, _too fucking bad!_

Oh, but Kadaj was going to bide his time. Once the year passed and the two _rats_ were to return to Nibelheim, Kadaj was going with them. He was going to murder that moronic chunk of vomit.

And the kid was next.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年3月30日 （土）

Finished: 2013年4月1日 （月）

I was on a roll yesterday, and I guess it carried over to today, too. Awesome! I'd been getting real lazy and less motivated to write, but that's gone now.

I hope you guys are satisfied with Kadaj's punishment. :3 More irony here. Poor Mrs. Strife; now she's got two people out to get her - one for fun and the other for seriously.

Okay, I don't really mention Bat the bandersnatch because I know how everyone generally feels about OCs (I feel the same way). There's really only one story around here where I really liked the OCs (well, one of them, anyways) and it features the awesomest old lady you'll ever read about. Don't know which fic I'm talking about? SHAME ON YOU. You should know! Anyways, Bat does have a (very) small role in this story, which is why he was mentioned in the first place.


	18. Chapter 18

Mrs. Strife sat with Cloud in her lap and Sephiroth sat on her right. Jenova and Sephiroth's remaining two brothers stood near the stairs. Mrs. Strife was very angry after discovering Cloud's state, but... Kadaj's punishment – it was way too harsh, so much so it seemed like he was bullied. Loz, Yazoo, and, much to Mrs. Strife's utter shock, Sephiroth seemed very satisfied, especially when their brother was sent outside for who knows how long. Mrs. Strife tried to protest against it.

"It's not right," she had argued. "He's been severly injured and – "

"He'll survive," Sephiroth had cut in.

"I- it- but-" She wasn't been able to express her thoughts on the matter without constant interruption from everybody besides Cloud.

"He'll be fine," Yazoo said nonchalantly.

"It's not _that_ bad."

Not that bad? _Not that bad?!_ Loz made it sound like she was overreacting!

The last thing Mrs. Strife heard before losing it came from Jenova.

"If you're so worried, then why don't you go out and find him?"

"Why don't _I_ go out and find him?! That's what _you_ should be doing! I just- just can't believe this! It's like you don't even care!" Mrs. Strife accused. Cloud shrunk into his mother's hold, afraid and confused of what was going on.

Jenova tilted her head, eyeing Mrs. Strife threateningly. Loz scowled and Yazoo stared intently at Mrs. Strife like he was sizing her up.

"Hey! Mother _does_ care about us!" Loz defended. Mrs. Strife's frustration grew. Assuming that she could count Yazoo, she had three people against her. What were they thinking?! Kadaj had at least one broken rib and he was out there with no food, water, or shelter. And he was going to be just _fine_?

"Alright, if you won't bring him back, then I will." Mrs. Strife sat Cloud on the couch before standing up.

"Where you going, Mama?" Cloud slid off the couch to follow after his mother. Mrs. Strife stopped him as she opened the door.

"Stay with Sephiroth. I'll be back in a minute," she promised. She trusted Sephiroth to keep Cloud safe, even against Jenova. She didn't think that Kadaj could have gone very far; considering his condition, it was likely that he was lurking around right outside the house.

* * *

Sephiroth took Cloud's hand and led him away from the door when Mrs. Strife left. Sephiroth shot a look at Jenova, silently warning her against going after Mrs. Strife. He himself was slightly upset by Mrs. Strife's accusation of Jenova not caring. His mother did care; she just had the strangest way of showing it. That caring side didn't show itself as much anymore now that he and his brothers were old enough to take care of themselves, but it was still there. Really, though, if Kadaj hadn't been punished, Cloud would've been hurt by him again.

Mrs. Strife was overreacting a little bit, in Sephiroth's opinion. Then again, she didn't know that Kadaj's fast healing had already taken care of his wounds and he was perfectly capable of surviving in almost any situation. They had all lived comfortably (as much as was possible at the time) in areas with worse conditions and less luxuries before.

Jenova went up the stairs, Loz and Yazoo following suit. Loz was still scowling. After a quick mental question from Sephiroth, Loz replied, _I don't like her. She's saying bad things about Mother._ Sephiroth said no more, deciding to leave his brother alone, before going on to pester his mother.

_And what are you doing?_

_Sleeping. Is that such a bad thing to do?_

_Sleeping itself isn't. What you're going to do instead of sleeping may be._

_Are you going to follow me around all day?_

_When I get back from outside, yes._

_It really isn't worth the effort, protecting that thing. At least we now have a set time for the game's beginning._

It was all a game to her. That didn't surprise Sephiroth. Right now, she wouldn't go after Mrs. Strife. Not yet. Once Sephiroth brought Mrs. Strife back from her pointless venture, he'd have to be on the alert.

"Let's go outside, Cloud."

* * *

Cloud was scared and very confused. His mother had been yelling at Jenova. His mother had never yelled at anybody before. Why was she doing it now? Cloud couldn't understand any of it, and his mother's strange behavior was scary. So scary that Cloud had been close to crying.

He felt better now, though, since Sephiroth was taking him somewhere outside. Cloud sat on Sephiroth's shoulders, looking around eagerly. It had been a while since he had seen the gray sky and boring rocky ground and walls (ROCKS!), but he missed it. He wondered if Sephiroth was going to take him out to the grass and dirt again. Cloud loved the dirt... except when he had to take a bath afterwards.

"Where we going?" Cloud asked excitedly. Was Sephiroth going to take him to see something new?

"Through the caves," Sephiroth answered. He kept going, stopping every time more than one big hole appeared and picking a path to take.

The caves weren't anything special. They looked exactly the same as the rest of the mountain. But for some reason, Cloud could hear his mother calling someone. Sephiroth heard her, too, and tried to follow the sound.

* * *

"Kadaj!" Mrs. Strife heard her voice bounce off the caves, the echoes nearly deafening. After searching for what seemed like hours, Mrs. Strife grew even more worried. She had seen no sign of Kadaj, and heard nothing – not even a dragon's roar or a wolf's growl – every time she called. The deeper into the caves she searched, the more worried for his wellbeing she became. She wondered what it was going through his mind that told him to stray further away from home. Mrs. Strife blamed it all on Jenova. That heartless monster! To think that she was this cruel to her own son, her flesh and blood...

Mrs. Strife shook her head, saving those thoughts for later. She continued wandering through the mountain, repeatedly calling Kadaj's name. When she backtracked and inspected another cave, she heard some pebbles shifting. A low growl made her freeze. She didn't dare turn around, already having a guess as to what was behind her.

Mrs. Strife held her breath, trying to be as least interesting as possible to the Nibel wolf hiding in the dimness of the cave. She heavily regretted not bringing anything to defend herself with.

The wolf snarled, moving closer to Mrs. Strife, sniffing as if deciding how much it would take for it to bring Mrs. Strife down. She jumped, nearly losing her balance as she quickly moved away, when the wolf made a pained sound and leaped to the side. Mrs. Strife took the chance to turn and see what was going on.

She faintly saw a tall figure with a humanoid shape around the shoulder area – Sephiroth. And Cloud was with him, too.

Sephiroth threw another stone at the wolf, moving away from the cave mouth and towards where Mrs. Strife was as the rock struck the wolf on the shoulder. The wolf advance towards Sephiroth. Mrs. Strife was going to panic. If the wolf got to Sephiroth, Cloud would get hurt, too.

Sephiroth lifted Cloud from his shoulders and thrust him into Mrs. Strife's arms. Throwing another stone, this time aiming for the wolf's head, he calmly instructed, "Get out of here while I distract it. The way home is towards the left."

Mrs. Strife held onto Cloud more tightly and looked worriedly at Sephiroth. "But what about you? "

"Don't worry about me," he said, keeping the calm tone in his voice. "I'll be there as soon as I can. Go now."

Mrs. Strife reluctantly moved towards the exit, keeping close to the walls. She buried Cloud's face into her breast. He squirmed and voiced his complaints, but Mrs. Strife refused to give in. She broke into a run, sprinting towards the left, before looking back. The Nibel wolf leaped, heading towards Sephiroth.

* * *

Jenova scratched behind Bat's ears. The old wolf growled in appreciation and leaned into her touch. He had gained a lot more weight when Jenova had first brought him home, but that weight had virtually disappeared. Bat wasn't horribly thin, but he had been eating considerably less. His painful whining had increased, nearly any movement hurting his bones. Jenova did what she could to make the bandersnatch comfortable, but that wasn't going to stop the inevitable.

Bat was dying. His old age was getting to him.

Jenova grabbed his head and pressed her own right against it. "Don't leave me," she whispered. "You can't go yet." She knew that what she said was stupid and that Bat couldn't understand a single word uttered. Yet, she couldn't really help but blurt that out. There was no way to stop a natural death, no matter how badly anybody wished there to be.

Bat tried to wrench his head out of Jenova's hold and she allowed it. He slowly stood up, trembling a bit as he did so, and circled a spot on the bed, laying down and making himself comfortable. His one milky eye, useless like his other one which was permanently closed up by a scar, remained open. Jenova patted him and let him be. She allowed herself a small amount of time to plot what she would do once Sephiroth returned. After all, she couldn't quit the game if she was the one that started it.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年4月3日 （水）

Finished: 2013年4月5日 （金）

Sorry for the cliffie with Sephiroth. I'll get to it next chapter. What happens when he gets back will be mentioned, too.

Well, I'm kinda sad now, since a favorite author of mine has deleted most of her stories. :( They were really great, too... I regret never making myself review them...


	19. Chapter 19

"Go back, Mama!" Cloud begged for the hundredth time. His mother didn't listen and continued to run. The world felt like it was spinning, though Cloud couldn't tell if it really was or not with how his mother had him pressed against her, refusing to let him see anything. Cloud's stomach protested the swaying and slightly bouncing movement by giving off that really weird feeling. Cloud stopped trying to convince her to go back for Sephiroth in fear that the strange feeling would get worse and turn into something else.

His mother soon slowed down and Cloud felt solid ground under his feet. His stomach didn't feel much better, and Cloud finally notified his mother of those sensations.

"Where does it feel weird?" She looked Cloud over with a critical eye, feeling his forehead before sitting him down on a chair.

"Tummy," Cloud whined. The world was still spinning and the strange feeling flared up before settling down again. His mother lifted his shirt and lightly felt his stomach, a concerned look joining the scared one on her face.

"What does it feel like?"

"I don't know!" Everything that happened today crashed down on Cloud and he couldn't take it anymore. He burst into tears. First Kadaj hurt him, then his mother was yelling and leaving, then Sephiroth gave him back to his mother so they could go back home, then that weird feeling came back – it was just too much! What was going on?!

His mother held him close and ran her fingers through his hair, lightly massaging his head. "It'll be okay," she said reassuringly. She repeated that sentence over and over, eventually calming Cloud down enough to where his sobs were reduced to sniffles. Cloud's head ached dully from his break down, but his stomach felt normal again. It had felt worse than the first time with Sephiroth.

Cloud hugged his mother back, and the two stayed there together, Cloud repeating his mother's mantra in his head after she stopped.

* * *

Jenova watched the little moment the human and Cloud were having from the coverage of the shadows. The sight of the human comforting the child brought back memories uncountable years old. Such a long time it had been since Jenova had had to do the same to one of her sons...

The shadow 'world' blurred the already distorted black and white image of the pair, clearing up soon after. The rest of Jenova's surroundings were either pitch black or images of numerous other potential exits to the real world. She stood there, in that hidden world only she and her sons (to a certain extent) could access, waiting for the human to separate itself from Cloud.

Ten, maybe fifteen minutes later, it did. The human took a seat next to Cloud, rubbing his back. Jenova took this moment to set her plan in motion. Slowly, to mask her presence, she reached her consciousness towards the human's and prodded at it.

 _Cloud's going to wait all night for Sephiroth if he has to. Wouldn't it be nice to give him something to help pass the time?_ Disguised as the human's thoughts, she changed her commands to suggestions and relied on persuasion to get the human to comply.

_He'll get here really soon... I hope._

_Cheer up, dear._ Jenova nearly gagged at the choice of words the human would use. _He's_ _stronger than you think._

 _He is_ , the human agreed with 'itself'. _But I still can't help but feel afraid for him. I just feel so bad for putting him in that situation in the first place._

And she _should've_ felt that way, in Jenova's opinion. Damn human couldn't survive anywhere outside its home or without others and it was a total nuisance. Instead of saying any of that, however, she continued on with the trick.

 _Cheer up, dear, cheer up!_ Jenova hastily dug into some of the human's recent memories. _He's lived here for a pretty long time, remember?_ _And he told you what to do when dragons and wolves attack, right?_

 _Yes_ , the human admitted.

_Then there's nothing to worry about! All you have to do is wait for him with Cloud. But no matter how Cloud tries to hide it, he'll get impatient._

The human quickly thought of crayons and other small things to help keep him busy for a short amount of time.

_What are you waiting for? You won't be gone for long. It's only going to take a second._

_Only a second..._ Jenova saw the human stand and say something to Cloud before going up the stairs. Jenova moved towards the distorted image of her bedroom and lifted Bat. Cloud deserved to have a few more moments with the animal and he needed someone to supervise him while the human discovered a special surprise.

* * *

Sephiroth held up his right arm in defense as the Nibel wolf jumped at him. He grit his teeth as the wolf dug its teeth into the limb. He used his stronger arm and furiously pounded at the snarling beast's head, jabbing his thumb into one of its eyes. He pushed harder into the eye when the wolf refused to let go. The stubborn bastard released his arm and leaped away.

Sephiroth shook his arm and felt the wounds closing up. The wolf had its narrowed eyes on him, pulling back its lips into another snarl, raising its hackles, ears, and tail in a threatening stance. Sephiroth slowly moved towards the cave mouth, keeping his own eyes on the animal.

Without any warning, the wolf leaped at Sephiroth again. Sephiroth caught its head and squeezed it in an attempt to prevent it from getting its snapping jaws any closer to his face. The wolf's hot breath invaded Sephiroth's nostrils and he held his breath. The wolf lunged repeatedly, slipping through Sephiroth's grip and getting slightly closer each time. Sephiroth pushed the wolf to the right.

The furry, vicious animal proved its true intelligence by pushing both Sephiroth and itself in the same direction. Sephiroth released it and got to his feet after it flailed, bit, and scratched frantically. Not allowing the wolf another advantage, he jumped towards it as it stood up and wrapped his right arm around its neck to keep it in place. He then used his left arm and summoned part of his strength, twisting and snapping the Nibel wolf's neck.

Sephiroth stood up and looked at his handiwork. Something then alerted him of someone else's presence. He looked towards the top of the cave and saw a deep groove.

Kadaj was tightly nestled into that groove, looking down at the result of the commotion. He looked slightly disappointed and pissed off, most definitely due to Mrs. Strife being unharmed. Blaming the attack on his brother would have been irrational and stupid, so Sephiroth left him alone.

"Be grateful for the free meal," Sephiroth said audibly to him and set off for home, quickening his pace once he was out of the cave. It was primitive and backwards for Kadaj to have to live off of raw meat for some time, but food was food out here, no matter how it was obtained.

Sephiroth opened the front door and found Cloud kneeling on the floor before Jenova. Jenova held a sleeping bandersnatch down as Cloud pet the animal to his content. Cloud looked up and ran to Sephiroth, squeezing his leg like it was the most important thing in the world. A great sense of relief and happiness from Cloud hit Sephiroth hard.

As Sephiroth lifted Cloud and reassured him that nobody was leaving anymore, he immediately noticed that Mrs. Strife was missing. Cloud hugged Sephiroth's neck, nearly choking him, and Sephiroth looked past Cloud and over to Jenova.

_Where is she?_

Jenova gave him a mischievous look, as if she had just played a practical joke, and said nothing.

 _Shit_. He held onto Cloud for a little while longer before setting him down. Sephiroth tried to go up the stairs, but stopped when Cloud tried to follow. Cloud latched onto Sephiroth's leg and didn't let go. Sephiroth looked down into those bright little blue eyes and saw that the pouting little kid was set on following him. _Double shit._ Sephiroth couldn't take him up there, not without taking the chance of having Cloud see something horrible.

Defeated, Sephiroth dragged his leg (and Cloud) towards the couch. Cloud snuggled into Sephiroth's side when he sat down, and Sephiroth draped an arm around him, keeping his eyes on Jenova the whole time.

* * *

"Wait here. I'm going to get something for us to color. I'll be back in just a second," Mrs. Strife promised. Cloud seemed reluctant to let her go, but he stayed put in his chair. Mrs. Strife rushed up the stairs and into the bedroom, stopping in her tracks as darkness engulfed the room.

Mrs. Strife felt something brush against her and jumped. Turning around, she found herself face to face with Jenova, their noses nearly touching. Mrs. Strife backed away quickly.

"The boot, the maiden, or the head rest?" Jenova asked, the grin that spelled absolute danger and horror for Mrs. Strife on her face. "The boot, the maiden, or the head rest?" Jenova repeated when Mrs. Strife didn't answer.

Whatever Jenova meant by those three things, Mrs. Strife had no idea, but none of them sounded good.

"Do I need to choose for you?" Jenova looked off to the side, as if thinking very carefully. "How about all three?" The grin grew wider.

Mrs. Strife turned and ran. She ran for what seemed like forever, only to come back to where she started.

"Welcome back," Jenova said, rooted to her original spot.

It was like the last time – there was no escape. Mrs. Strife, knowing that running was futile, decided to stay as far from Jenova as possible.

"I changed my mind. Let's do something different."

A rope materialized in Jenova's hands, and she rushed forward, tackling the now fleeing Mrs. Strife to the ground and wrapped the rope around Mrs. Strife's arms and legs, binding them together. Mrs. Strife flailed and screamed, hoping that somebody – anybody – could hear her.

"Little fish, out of water and suffocating on land. Let me put you out of your misery." The floor of the bedroom returned, but, like the time before, the walls were nonexistent. Jenova stabbed the floor, missing Mrs. Strife by a few inches. Mrs. Strife writhed, using all of her strength to get away from the blade. Jenova then stabbed the other side of Mrs. Strife and continued the stabbing, purposely missing Mrs. Strife every time. It clicked in Mrs. Strife's mind that this was Jenova's sick form of entertainment.

"Stop it!" Mrs. Strife begged. "Just let me go!"

Jenova burst into hysterical laughter. Mrs. Strife struggled to free herself, but the rope was bound too tight. Jenova resumed her cruel torture and Mrs. Strife kept up her begging, stopping soon after. Jenova seemed disappointed when Mrs. Strife did so. The walls returned, and Mrs. Strife was gagged with something before she could do anything. The rope had disappeared upon the walls' reapparance, but Mrs. Strife found herself being dragged to the closet and yet another something was tied around her hands, binding them together again.

Pain traveled up Mrs. Strife's right arm and the side of her head after she was thrown in the closet. She heard the door close and struggled in the darkness, bumping her head against the wall.

* * *

Sephiroth lay a napping Cloud down on the couch and went up the stairs, Jenova following after him with the bandersnatch in her arms. Sephiroth quickly entered the first room to the right while Jenova kept going straight ahead.

Sephiroth heard faint thumping coming from the closet and released Mrs. Strife. He unknotted the sweater tied around her hands and ungagged her.

"Cloud's fine," Sephiroth said before Mrs. Strife could begin to ask. "He's downstairs." Mrs. Strife nodded and quickly ran down. Sephiroth went out into the hallway and stopped Jenova from going down after Mrs. Strife.

"You're not going down there," Sephiroth said firmly.

"Why should I? It really seems to like to fight with my internal organs well enough." The bean-shaped organ in Jenova's hand throbbed.

"Make a deal with me."

Jenova tilted her head at that, obviously interested.

"I'll be watching everything you do," Sephiroth began, "and you can't use any of your 'stunt doubles'."

"Will you even go so far as to not sleep?"

"Yes." And Sephiroth meant it.

"Suit yourself. I accept your deal. There will only be one of me, but if you succumb to sleep, the human is free game for me."

It was a rough game, one that Sephiroth would definitely have trouble with.

"Alright."

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年4月8日 （月）

Finished: 2013年4月10日 （水）

I hate high heat. So, so much. It's going to get worse, and I'd say it's just about time to bust out the pool. It's a cheap pool from any big store, but man does it sound like heaven right now. By the way, has it gotten any warmer for anybody living up north?

First person to correctly guess what Jenova meant by "boot", "maiden", and "head rest" can go ahead and demand which story I update next. Hint: all three are torture/killing devices.


	20. Chapter 20

4 November 1979

Sephiroth sat right outside the door to the room Mrs. Strife resided in, staring at his mother who was right across. Now was the fourth night that they were doing this, although nothing ever happened. Sephiroth wouldn't move, and neither would his mother; they simply eyed each other, daring the other to do so much as blink.

Sephiroth wondered what he was going to do as the time went by. Jenova had extended her terrorist attempts to the whole day, sitting in the corners of the house and making sure she wasn't in plain sight. In turn, Sephiroth went every single second without sleep, going about the day like he normally would to keep Cloud and Mrs. Strife oblivious. So far, the effects of not sleeping weren't affecting Sephiroth one bit. He didn't even feel drowsy. However, he knew that he wouldn't last anywhere as long as Jenova. It must have been out of pure luck, but she had once gone nearly a whole year with only a few hours of sleep here and there. Sephiroth estimated that he only had, at most, two months before passing out.

Sephiroth jumped and Jenova visibly tensed as the doorknob turned.

Sephiroth tried to scoot backwards as silently as possible when Mrs. Strife reached for the wall on her right. She moved forward, sticking close to the wall and walked in the direction of the bathroom. Sephiroth puzzled over her actions before remembering that humans couldn't see in the dark as well as he and his family could.

Once Mrs. Strife had her back turned to the left part of the hallway, Jenova struck. Mrs. Strife nearly smacked her face to muffled her scream. Jenova's shoulders shook as she held in her snickering. Mrs. Strife trembled as she tried to find what it was that had touched her leg so suddenly. Sephiroth guiltily admitted to himself that it was kind of funny. Who didn't enjoy pulling a scare prank every once in a while?

Sephiroth slowly stood up and tapped Mrs. Strife on the shoulder, grabbing her arm to lead her to the bathroom.

"It was me. Sorry," he whispered, taking the blame. It probably would've been a lot better if she didn't know what was going on.

Mrs. Strife only nodded before turning the bathroom light on and closing the door to do her business. Sephiroth was surprised that his mother hadn't scared the piss out of her already.

Jenova was still shaking with laughter when Sephiroth sat back down.

"You look like a retarded dog," he muttered loud enough for her to hear. Jenova gave him the finger. She didn't do anything else when Mrs. Strife blindly made her way back to bed.

"Why do you keep doing that?" Sephiroth quietly said with some frustration. Jenova had been searching for many opportunities to scare the skin off of Mrs. Strife, though Sephiroth had managed to either stop or mess up most of them.

"Why do you keep cock-blocking?" Jenova shot back.

"Cock-blocking? Seriously?" Sephiroth rubbed his head at the term his mother used. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Let's see... I consider self-mutilation a hobby; I thought and still think that living on a mountain was a great idea..." Jenova was actually _counting_. She moved on her third finger. "I thought the coldest place on the Planet was a great place to raise four children; I am a pyromaniac; I take great pleasure in making others suffer or feel pain; if I see anything new that runs on electricity I just _have_ to take it apart; I sometimes have sudden urges to kill something; for quite some time, I've been wanting to run around without any clothes on; on most occasions, my insults to others aren't meant to be taken seriously; if I stare into space long enough, food starts to float and fly everywhere before exploding..." Jenova looked down at her hands. "I ran out of fingers."

Sephiroth sighed and shook his head. "You're terrible, you know that?"

"Well aware of it."

* * *

5 November 1979

Cloud grabbed onto Sephiroth's shirt to climb up onto him. Sephiroth continued to lay there on the couch as Cloud sat on his back.

"Sephirooooth!" Cloud tugged repeatedly on the man's shirt. "Go color with me!" Cloud had gotten Sephiroth to draw him a prickly little cactus man called a cactuar, another chocobo, a picture of Elmo, and a picture of chocolate heaven. Cloud had colored the cactuar purple, 'cause purple was better than the dark green cactuars normally were; the chocobo was colored white with rainbow spots, 'cause it was the bird's birthday; Elmo stayed red; and Cloud saved the chocolate heaven picture for Sephiroth. It looked yummy when Sephiroth drew it, so it had to look even better if Sephiroth colored it, right?

Sephiroth let out a fake snore. Cloud picked up his butt and slammed it down on Sephiroth's back. Noticing Sephiroth's lack of reaction, Cloud grabbed two handfuls of his hair and pulled.

Sephiroth hissed but still lay there like a lazy bum. Cloud pulled harder.

"Being mean like that won't make me get up." Cloud frowned and let go of Sephiroth's super long hair. After looking at it for a while, he grabbed it again and rubbed his face against the soft silver, unintentionally tugging at it again. Sephiroth turned his head to look at Cloud.

"What are you doing, you little weirdo?"

"You're weird! Not me!" Cloud nearly yelled. Sephiroth's hair looked so soft and Cloud wanted to see if it felt that way, too. It did. Cloud thought of telling Sephiroth to make his hair grow even longer so it could be used as a blanket.

"Be nice, Cloud," Mrs. Strife scolded. She moved from the kitchen to the living room and pulled Cloud off of Sephiroth. Cloud hung onto Sephiroth's shirt, trying to resist his mother's pulling. He only wanted Sephiroth to get up and color with him!

Cloud frowned when he found himself on the floor. Sephiroth turned and sat up, looking down at Cloud.

"I'm going already. I was just thinking about something," Sephiroth said. He stood up and walked past Mrs. Strife with Cloud tagging along behind him. Cloud climbed into his chair and slid the chocolate heaven drawing and his crayons to Sephiroth.

"Make the chocolate brown!" Cloud demanded.

"There's nothing but chocolate in here..."

"But chocolate's good when it's brown!" Every single chocolate that Sephiroth had ever given Cloud was brown, so maybe brown chocolate was the best kind of chocolate. Wait... Could chocolate come in different colors?

"I've seen white chocolate and dark chocolate before," Sephiroth answered when Cloud asked. Sephiroth filled in the chocolate chocobo that was standing on chocolate grass by the chocolate river with a light brown.

"What do they taste like?"

"I wouldn't know. I've never tried them."

"Do you know, mama?"

"White chocolate is really, really sweet," his mother said, watching Sephiroth color.

"Make the chocolate turtle white and brown!" Cloud said quickly. As he watched the picture gain color, he really wished that he were in that chocolate heaven. He imagined himself in that little world with the bright blue sky and fluffy-looking clouds. If it were real, he would be riding the chocolate chocobo, sitting in the chocolate grass and pulling up the tufts to eat, or swimming in the gooey chocolate river with the white and brown chocolate turtle. Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate! Cloud could never get enough of it. Once all of his candy was gone, he _begged_ Sephiroth to go get him some more. The gummy bears, peppermints, snack cakes, and lollipops that Sephiroth had given him tasted good, too, but none of them could ever be as good as chocolate. Never ever.

An important thought struck Cloud. What if the chocolate land was real? "Can you teach me how to swim?" Cloud ignored his mother's surprised look.

"There aren't any spots of water around here big enough for swimming," Sephiroth replied.

"Why would you want to learn how to swim?" Mrs. Strife asked worriedly. Cloud wanted to frown again. His mother probably wouldn't let him near any water, just like she didn't let him go past a certain distance away from the house when he was outside.

"So I can swim in the chocolate river." Duh! Didn't they know that if the chocolate land was real, the chocolate river would be, too? How was he supposed to swim in the river if he didn't know how?

Instead of getting a yes or a disappointing no for an answer, Sephiroth laughed. Mrs. Strife looked like she wanted to laugh, too. Cloud started to get mad. They weren't supposed to think he was being funny!

Sephiroth slid the finished picture to Cloud. The colored drawing was making Cloud hunger for even more chocolate. He momentarily forgot about his anger to fantasize about the chocolate world again instead. The things he could do in that place! Well, more like eat.

"I can hang it up on the wall for you, if you want," Mrs. Strife offered. She looked impressed by Sephiroth's drawing.

"Okay." Cloud yanked the paper to his chest when his mother tried to take it from him. "No! I'll hold it." He wanted to see it up close for a little while longer.

"There's some tape in the drawers over there," Sephiroth said, referring to the drawers under the TV. Mrs. Strife nodded and went to open them one by one to look. Cloud followed, his eyes still glued on the paper colored many different shades of brown, before something else got his attention.

Jenova sat behind the couch, playing with some string wrapped around her fingers. Cloud wondered how and when she got there when she wasn't there before. He ran up to her to show off his new picture.

"Look at what I got, Ba!" Cloud said proudly.

"Very nice," she said.

"You're not looking!" Cloud whined. Jenova kept her eyes on the string, moving her hands and fingers around to fiddle with it.

"If I were to look, I would want to go there."

"I wanna go, too! Can you help me find Chocolate Land?"

"Maybe someday."

Maybe equals yes. Cloud was overjoyed. He bounced lightly on his feet, passing his mother who had been looking at the scene nervously while standing very closely to Cloud.

"Go put it up, mama!" Cloud ran climbed up the stairs as fast as his little legs let him. Once he got to their room, he impatiently waited for his mother to get there. He almost told her to hurry up, but she got there before he did so. Cloud excitedly handed the picture to her and watched her put the chocolate land on the wall.

Cloud liked how the picture looked on the wall. He then asked his mother to stick the other drawings up on there, too. Cloud thought of all the things he could make Sephiroth draw and sat at the top of the stairs, sliding his butt down every step.

* * *

Jenova pulled her hands apart, spreading the string and forming a web. The game was getting more interesting with each passing day and night. She kept her promise; there were no other copies of her roaming around anywhere. Yet the action of chopping off a limb or ripping out an organ was very tempting at times, especially when the human went up the stairs with Cloud, leaving itself vulnerable. After some thought, going after the human without Cloud knowing would have been very difficult if not impossible.

Contrary to what the human may think, Jenova had absolutely nothing against Cloud. No matter who or what age it was, Jenova could never bring herself to hurt a child. Cloud was much too young to have done anything; too young to want to intentionally lie, cheat, or steal. Although she would be contradicting herself when the time came for The Deal to be carried out, Jenova didn't want to hurt Cloud in any way. Besides, after all the time and effort it had taken to bring him into being, he had to be in perfect condition – undamaged.

Jenova manipulated the string and created another web, this time with a different pattern. Her son had better come up with something if he wanted to win this competition.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年4月15日（月）

Finished: 2013年4月16日（火）

sphinx-69 got the three words right. "Boot" was actually the Iron Boot, though there are so many variations of it that the general term is just boot. Each variation of the boot was to break or do massive damage to either the feet or the legs. The one I had in mind was the Iron Boot, which was an over-sized boot that anybody could easily have their whole leg slipped into. Wooden wedges would then be placed at the top of the boot and hammered until the victim spilled the beans or the leg was broken. "Maiden" was easily guessable - it was the Iron Maiden, a coffin/sarcophagus/etc. with spikes inside. The spikes were either placed everywhere, or in certain spots that would cause severe bleeding. "Head rest" was the guillotine - that wooden thing with the huge blade used for decapitation. I had seen a special on the history channel and I can't believe that I can still remember what was said about the boot and the iron maiden after seeing it years ago. O_o

I have a few favors to ask of everyone. I had originally intended to first write them here, but _Assistant_ was updated first and I was able to give it two updates in a row. I'm still going to type it all out here. There are two amazing stories on this site, and I feel that they are very underrated. The first is _[Invictus](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8564193/1/Invictus)_ by Cpl. Hicks. Gah, that one is so awesome! Cloud isn't a wimp, Cloud's mom kicks ass for reasons I won't mention (go read to find out!), there are two people that are the absolute rulers of Candy Land, there is a kick-ass old lady, and so much more! Tiny spoiler: Cloud kicks Sephiroth in the balls!

The second fic is _[A Coming Out Story](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8906923/1/A-Coming-Out-Story)_ by Yooney. That one is most definitely horribly underrated, and it's very unique and well written, like _Invictus_. I know the authors of their respective stories would really appreciate it if you checked out their stories and followed and/or favorited/reviewed. I'm pretty sure it would also make them happy, and if you make them happy, I'll be happy. Make me happy, and there's a high chance of updates coming out sooner. I'll even leave the links to the two stories in my profile so you don't have to go and search for them. But please, do check out these two fics!


	21. Chapter 21

"It was quite funny. You should have seen it."

Bat smacked his chops, slowly clearing off the mashed up meat on the paper plate in front of him. He ate about half of the meat before collapsing onto his belly, lazily swishing his tail and leaving the rest of his food to sit in an unappetizing pile.

"Oh, what do you know?" Jenova dragged the unresponsive wolf across the floor and heaved him onto the bed. "You're just a dying animal that apparently has listening problems. And to think that I _begged_ you not to go. Maybe something else will make you listen."

Jenova paused for a minute. Then, "If you dare die on me, I will vandalize your corpse. Skin you and use your fur as a cover. Eat your body. Boil your bones in a stew. Die on me, and I swear I will kill you and make you double dead."

A twitch of the ear and a snore was all Bat offered in response to Jenova's threats. He stretched out his legs to make his sleep more comfortable.

"You hairy four-legged bastard." Bat jolted awake and yelped when Jenova shook him roughly. "All you are good for is sleeping, eating, and _dying_. Everything on this damned planet dies!"

Bat looked in the general direction of Jenova's voice and whined at her tone, pulling his ears back.

Jenova's frustration ebbed and she looked back apologetically at her pet. She reached out and gently patted the giant head, soothing the bandersnatch.

"Stay here a little longer. Don't go."

Bat let his head drop weakly back onto the bed and closed his eyes.

* * *

Sephiroth quietly pondered about how to get the upper hand in the situation as he drew a dog for Cloud. As he had thought before, there was no way he would last longer without sleep than Jenova could, and, so far, the only options he had come up with were that either Mrs. Strife returned home or he find a way to take Jenova out. The former was easier to carry out, but Sephiroth was unwilling to part with Cloud. He didn't know why he liked having Cloud around so much, but there was just something about that kid... He never could place what exactly that something was. It couldn't have been just the way Cloud acted and spoke; Sephiroth had been feeling the same way about Cloud before the boy could even babble. The only thing that really changed from then to now was that Cloud had an easier time worming his way through Sephiroth's heart.

What was he thinking? He was acting like Cloud was going to leave in less than an hour. Hell, he hadn't even suggested the idea to Mrs. Strife!

Sephiroth handed the finished drawing to Cloud, who picked up a pink crayon and scribbled all over the drawing, not caring to stay within the lines. Seeing him, Sephiroth made up his mind.

He wouldn't say anything. He would have to find a way bring his own mother down. It was the only choice Sephiroth would take; he cherished Cloud's presence in the house, and he wouldn't be able to see him anywhere near as often if the boy went back home. Better to enjoy the time he had left with Cloud than see him go before time was up. Sephiroth knew he was being selfish, but he didn't care – Mrs. Strife was in no immediate danger... Not now, at least. Sephiroth was very well aware of his mother's psychotic tendencies, and he assumed that Mrs. Strife was only her victim when it came to her special form of "bullying". When Jenova bullied, she tried to scare the hell out of the victim, talked down to him/her, pretty much anything short of mild hazing. Sephiroth only had to try to stop the bullying before it escalated to murder.

A paper shoved in front of his face tore Sephiroth from his thoughts. Cloud waved his newly colored drawing, the scribbles, smears, and circles of random colors dancing in front of Sephiroth's eyes.

"Nice," Sephiroth commented. "Why don't you try drawing something?"

"But you draw better," Cloud protested.

"Just try."

Cloud dragged a green crayon, making circles and lines. He frowned, and put the crayon down, looking down at his creation with the as much disdain as a kid could have and still look cute.

"I don't like it," Cloud whined.

"I think it's good," Mrs. Strife said quickly. Sephiroth nodded, agreeing with her.

"Nuh-uh." Cloud crossed his little arms, staring down at his messy green stick-figure dog as if he wanted it to disappear.

"I'll draw one more thing for you," Sephiroth offered.

"A cat!"

"A cat...?" Sephiroth asked in an _are you kidding me?_ kind of tone.

"Yeah! Make it fluffy, too!" Cloud ordered.

Sephiroth obliged without any complaint, though he was griping on the inside. He _hated_ cats. Faintly, as he worked on the face, he heard Jenova come back down the steps. He looked from the corner of his eye, watching her sit against the side of the couch facing the kitchen. He remembered the deal that they had agreed on, and how he hadn't set any rules. That meant that anything could happen, and there was no such thing as cheating in this. Not only did that work in his favor, it worked in his mother's. He was going to have to watch out for any traps while he devised his own.

Cloud looked down at the drawing, then back up at Sephiroth.

"It looks like you!" Cloud exclaimed.

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. "No it does not."

"Yes it does! Look, you have kitty-cat eyes." Cloud pointed straight at Sephiroth's face.

"They're snake eyes," Sephiroth grumbled. Mrs. Strife's reaction to the word snake did not escape Sephiroth's notice.

"Do I have snake eyes, too?" Cloud touched his face, as if he could actually feel how his own eyes looked if he were to touch them. His eyes instinctively closed when Cloud put a finger up to one.

"No."

"How did you get them?"

"I don't know." Sephiroth didn't know how to answer that question.

"How did Sephiroth get snake eyes, Mama?"

"I don't know, either." Well, at least he wasn't the only clueless one.

"Do you know, Ba?"

"Once, a very, very long time ago, Sephiroth was walking out on the fields when he met a giant snake. Right when the snake saw him, it screamed, 'Of all the ugly people I've seen, you have to be the ugliest! Here, take my eyes so I don't have to see anything ever again! It's much better to not be able to see anymore than to see someone ugly like you anymore.' And so, the snake gave its eyes away."

Sephiroth, ignoring Mrs. Strife's bewilderment, turned to face Jenova. "You know I look almost exactly like you, right?"

"And you think _I_ look pretty?"

"Heck no!" Sephiroth joked, censoring his language around Cloud.

"I think you're pretty, Ba," Cloud said sincerely.

Jenova obviously didn't know how to react to that. She looked down at the floor, nearly staring a hole into it. Sephiroth tried very, very hard to stifle his laughter, but couldn't manage to hold in a few snickers.

 _Quiet, you_ , Sephiroth heard in his head. He ignored his mother, but tried to stop laughing anyways.

* * *

Mrs. Strife watched the exchange with shock and a bit of awe. Sephiroth and Jenova spoke to each other as if they were old friends. She wondered: were the two of them always that way?

Seeing Jenova's strange reaction to Cloud's compliment filled Mrs. Strife with pity. Although she never ever found insults amusing, she understood that it was all a joke just by seeing how Sephiroth wasn't offended. But if saying something nice to Jenova made had her at a loss for what to do... then didn't that mean that Jenova hardly got any kind treatment? If so, Mrs. Strife felt sorry for her. She nearly chastised Sephiroth for laughing – couldn't he see that it wasn't funny?

If Mrs. Strife wasn't so afraid of what would happen, she would do something nice for Jenova. Sighing inwardly, Mrs. Strife wondered if she was too forgiving at times.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年4月24日（水）

Finished: 2013年4月27日（土）

Sorry for the long wait! What really frustrates me is how this is short. To make up for it, here's a video of [Sephiroth tasting the rainbow](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gm46FvPqbxg).

Cloud still thinks that Sephiroth has kitty-cat eyes instead of snake eyes.


	22. Chapter 22

Cloud looked at Jenova in confusion. He didn't expect her to be so quiet. What did he do wrong? She was fine when Sephiroth was being mean.

"Are you okay?" Cloud slid out of his seat and approached Jenova, dropping to his knees and craning his head upward to meet Jenova's gaze as she continued to look down. "What's wrong?"

"...Nothing is wrong. After looking at Sephiroth's face for too long, his ugliness got too ugly and I had to look away."

Cloud heard Sephiroth sigh and turned around to see him roll his eyes.

"But Sephiroth's not ugly," Cloud said. "He looks like a kitty, and kitties are cute."

"I do _not_ look like a cat," Sephiroth cut in.

"Yes you do! Ba, was it really a giant snake that talked to Sephiroth?"

"Now that I think about it, I don't think it was."

"No, it was definitely a snake," Sephiroth insisted.

"I think it really was a cat," Mrs. Strife joined in, "except I think the cat gave Sephiroth its eyes so he could see better than a normal person can." Cloud squirmed as his mother moved him away from Jenova, but sat and listened intently to what the latter said next.

"Is the validity of my true story being questioned?"

"Yes it is," Sephiroth answered for both Cloud and Mrs. Strife. "And I find neither stories to be accurate."

"Then what did happen?"

Cloud looked at Sephiroth with interest, wanting to find out the real story. He was confused by the wording that Sephiroth and Jenova had used, and Cloud didn't know if his mother was right or not. He didn't know who to believe right now: Jenova's story wasn't true according to his mother; neither his mother's story nor Jenova's was accurate according to Sephiroth; and Sephiroth was denying that he looked like a cat. There was no way that Sephiroth could deny that information since he really did look like one. Now Cloud was getting suspicious... Was Sephiroth secretly a cat in disguise?

"I'm not a cat," Sephiroth said in reply to Cloud's question.

"But you look like a cat," Cloud reasoned.

"No I don't."

"Yes you do."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do!"

"Nope."

"Yes!"

The argument continued on for nearly a minute, stopping only when Jenova taunted, "Poor cat is feeling cranky today."

"See? Ba says that you're a cat, too!" Cloud exclaimed triumphantly.

"I'm _not_ a _cat_ ," Sephiroth ground out in frustration. "Besides, being a cat isn't a good thing."

"Why not?" Mrs. Strife inquired. "Cats are adorable and they make people happy." Cloud heard Jenova make a weird noise and saw his mother shoot her a mad look.

"I hate cats," Sephiroth said bluntly.

Cloud gasped. "Why?" How could anybody hate cats? Cloud really liked them 'cause they were cute and fluffy, and Sephiroth looking like a cat made him like Sephiroth even more. Cloud had seriously thought earlier about asking Sephiroth if he could pet him, but now that Sephiroth had said that, Cloud was too shocked to do it anymore.

"Because they're ugly, lazy, and never do anything other than eat, sleep, scratch up furniture, and take up space."

"Just like you."

Cloud paid no attention to Jenova's comment. Now he was mad. Cats weren't ugly or any of the other things Sephiroth said. Although Cloud had never seen a cat in person, he was pretty sure that those fuzzy animals he desired the most along with a dog weren't like that.

"No they're not," Cloud argued, slumping against his mother who sat across from Sephiroth.

"Fine, they're not. I still don't like them."

"You better like them!"

"Cloud, be nice. If Sephiroth doesn't like cats, he doesn't like them," Mrs. Strife tried to explain. Cloud would have none of it. He was going to make Sephiroth like cats no matter what. Cloud decided to try using the worst threat he could ever come up with.

"If you don't like cats, you won't be my best friend no more!"

* * *

Sephiroth was torn: Should he swallow his pride, just this once, and lie to satisfy Cloud's irrational demands, or should he refuse and face the consequences of how Cloud would react? Although he couldn't blame Cloud, since the boy was only three, he couldn't help but think how... No, stupid was too harsh a word, but Sephiroth didn't think of Cloud's threat as something to take too seriously. The most recent situation he remembered that was similar to this one was when he was nineteen and Kadaj was seven. Kadaj had threatened to run away from home after Jenova restricted his free time as a minor punishment. Needless to say, it didn't take very long before Sephiroth found his youngest brother curled up right outside the dwelling.

Knowing that he was going to regret whichever choice he made, Sephiroth replied, "Alright, I like cats." _Shut up,_ he said in response to his mother's laughing.

_He wouldn't have been angry for long, you know._

_It was a stupid thing to fight over. There was nothing for me to gain from it._

_...Except the opposite of wounded pride._

"Okay," Cloud said with a smug look on his round face. "Are you a cat, too?" The sensations of victory ran through Sephiroth, and he scolded himself. It didn't matter that Cloud was three – the kid should not have this much control over him.

 _He has to learn sometime that he can't get everything he wants_ , Jenova remarked. Sephiroth could not disagree. He pulled his mind away from Jenova's and blocked her off enough to show that he was done talking to her for the moment. Not having been in Cloud's mind for a long time, Sephiroth was tempted to stay in the boy's head and explore his every thought. Instead, he delivered his message directly to Cloud before pulling out.

_No._

Cloud pouted. The feeling that resulted from Sephiroth's defiance emanated from the boy. However, Cloud didn't break down or overreact. He simply looked back at Sephiroth, the message of _I don't want to talk to you anymore_ transferring from Cloud's mind to Sephiroth's.

"Cloud..." Sephiroth tried to reach over to the child.

"No," Cloud said quickly, burrowing backwards into his mother. "I don't wanna talk to you no more."

Great. Cloud was mad at him all because of a stupid animal. Sephiroth's hatred towards cats grew.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon passed with little change other than the hour getting later. Mrs. Strife constantly chanted _Leave, just leave_ over and over in her mind at Jenova. She had been here all day, not moving a muscle. Whenever Mrs. Strife would look at her, Jenova would stare back, never blinking.

Cloud refused to acknowledge Sephiroth, and Mrs. Strife grew slightly worried. She had him practice his reading and writing skills again to distract him and to give him a way to vent his grumpiness. In her opinion, Sephiroth should have said that he was a cat instead of staying silent. Cloud was smarter than Mrs. Strife thought; her son seemed to already know some of the implications of silence.

Soon enough, Cloud forgot about his vow to never talk to Sephiroth and became the chatterbox he normally was around the man. It never ceased to amaze Mrs. Strife how little time it took for Cloud to go from being in a bad mood to going back to normal again. Sephiroth seemed relieved, which Mrs. Strife thought was a good thing. He _should_ be glad that Cloud was as happy as could be again.

Scooping a protesting Cloud into her arms, Mrs. Strife carried him upstairs to rock him and read him a story before putting him to bed. Cloud gave Sephiroth a "good night" and stilled when Sephiroth bid him good night in return, letting his mother settle him into the rocking chair with her.

As Mrs. Strife turned to the first page of a longer children's book that she thought Cloud would enjoy, she wondered where Yazoo and Loz were. Since the day Kadaj had been made to stay outside, the older two hadn't been hanging around downstairs in the evenings like they used to.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年4月28日（日）

Finished: 2013年4月30日（火）

Sephiroth is just a big, fluffy kitty. He always looked cat-like to me, and it wasn't just his eyes. Admit it, Sephiroth!

Next chapter will be the last night of November 5th.


	23. Chapter 23

The desire to kill and maim the human rose, and keeping the destructive urges from showing themselves or being released was getting more and more difficult, especially today. While getting caught off guard by Cloud's compliment didn't really affect Jenova in any way, the human's look of pity did. Jenova had struggled to keep any trace of her inner thoughts from revealing themselves, had instead paid some attention to the silly yet entertaining argument between her son and Cloud. There was no outlet for her frustration, no way she could mutilate herself or something else without retreating and, in turn, implying to her son that she had lost this round of the game.

It was almost painful. But there was nothing Jenova could do about it, not now. She would wait it all out, see what plan Sephiroth had in mind to gain the upper hand and try to win, then strike. There weren't any rules, so there wasn't any cheating, either. To be more "fair", however, Jenova decided to stay out of Sephiroth's mind instead of prying into it to sabotage his plan before he could even put it into action.

Though Jenova was only out and about because of the human, having a long-needed look at the bond between Sephiroth and Cloud was a bonus. In the beginning, it had been very important that her son interacted with the boy as much as possible and got along with him, though now it was obvious that it would take a lot to separate the two. It was a little bit beyond what Jenova had originally wanted, but that made everything better.

Sephiroth leaned on the table with his elbow, holding his head up with his hand. His legs bounced up and down repeatedly, as they had been doing half the time he was at the table.

"How long are you going to sit there?" Sephiroth asked impatiently.

"How long are you going to sit there?" Jenova repeated back at him.

"Now you're stalking me? Why; what for?"

"Why not?"

"...Can't argue with that answer."

"Can't you?"

"Can't I?"

"I'd say you're capable."

"Would you?"

"Would I? Ah, what's the point in going around in circles – let's do a triangle instead."

"Triangles are odd and uneven. How about a square?"

"If squares are what is making conversation with you not boring for once, then yes."

"I really hate speaking 'your language' sometimes."

"Do you?"

Sephiroth didn't reply, instead saying, "Do we have sit around all night?"

"What would you rather do instead?" There was something better to do than stay extremely still right beside the human's door? Jenova lifted herself upright, standing at attention. Nah, there couldn't be, unless it involved Sephiroth taking Cloud and leaving the human open to anything that could happen to it. However, Sephiroth wasn't one to give up easily, and he wouldn't have been a very good second player if he was like that.

"Give me a minute to think."

Sephiroth didn't need a minute. Jenova decided to humor him with the first thought that came into her mind. She held out a hand in offering.

"You and I, shall we rendezvous?"

Sparing no explanation to Sephiroth's expressed confusion, Jenova held him just above the wrist and dragged him out of the seat and ran straight into a corner of the wall.

* * *

Smears of black, gray, and white flew by as Sephiroth held tightly onto the hand gripping his. He didn't dare to let go; if he did, he would end up who knew where with no way of getting home other than the long way.

Sephiroth was abruptly released, and he stumbled, quickly regaining his balance and raising an open hand to catch the fist coming his way. He grit his teeth and flipped his mother backwards. She suddenly yanked her hand from Sephiroth's and took off running.

_Damn._ It was times like these where Sephiroth regretted never learning to travel by shadow. As he ran after Jenova, he couldn't help but remember a story he had been told ages ago by his mother, back when he was still a little kid.

_Through the grass and between the roots of the trees..._  


He slid to a halt, having lost sight of Jenova. No wind blew, and he strained his ears for any trace of noise. Cautiously, he stepped further into the wood.

_...Rabbit strode, looking for his friends. Looking up..._

A branch snapped. Sephiroth whipped his head to the right, catching a fleeting glance of a shadow rushing off further into that same direction. He wrapped his arms around the nearest tree trunk, using his feet to search for a good hold and reaching for a thick branch to pull himself up with.

  
_...he saw Woodpecker, drilling away at the trees as he always did._

" _Woodpecker," Rabbit called, "come down, come down! I have something to tell you."_

" _What is it, friend Rabbit, what is it?" Woodpecker stopped his noisy pecking and flew down to where Rabbit had no problem speaking to him._

" _I'm having a celebration, dear friend, and I would like you to join me. There will be a feast with plenty of Mouse's best berry juice. Then we will have a dance."_

_Woodpecker, who enjoyed dancing as much as all of the other animals, accepted friend Rabbit's invitation and offered to help look for their other friends. Rabbit looked through every bush, Woodpecker through every branch. The two friends found..._

Sephiroth spotted a silhouette and jumped for it. He knocked Jenova off and out of the trees, falling down with her.

_…friends Duck, Quail, Raccoon, Frog, and Squirrel. Now that Rabbit had found all of his friends, he led them to the clearing near his burrow. On the way to that clearing..._

Pitch black became all he could see, the smears of gray-black-white again entering his vision, though it was a much shorter amount of time before he found himself seeing the same trees. Jenova knocked him down before scrambling up a tree, this time moving even faster.

How unfair. It should have been his turn to hide and for her to seek.

  
_...Rabbit and his friends came across Fox._

_With a friendly smile, stranger Fox asked, "Where are you going, fellow neighbors?"_

_Every animal was considered a neighbor, whether he was friend or stranger. Rabbit, being kind and polite as he should be, responded, "We are going to a feast of the greenest greens, the juiciest fruits, and to the best berry juice in the entire forest. Afterward, we are going to have a dance."_

" _How lovely that sounds! May I join, too, fellow neighbor?"_

" _Of course, of course!"_

" _May I bring my friends, too, fellow neighbor?"_

" _Of course, of course! The more the merrier!" Rabbit gave stranger Fox the directions to the clearing and led his friends to the celebration. Once there..._

Using the small and prickly bushes as cover, Sephiroth lied in wait. If he didn't go after Jenova, then she would come after him.

_...they feasted, and they feasted, saving food for stranger Fox and his friends. Most of the berry juice was drunk, and soon, Rabbit, Mouse, Woodpecker, Quail, Frog, Raccoon, Duck, and Squirrel held paws, wings, and webbed feet, standing in a circle, ready to dance. They waited and waited for Fox, but he never came. They decided to dance without him, skipping and cheering in that circle of theirs until they grew tired and sleepy. Rabbit was the last to go to sleep. He slept, full of food and drink and very, very happy. He continued to sleep until he heard noises. He opened his eyes..._  


The rustling and snapping of leaves and twigs did not disturb Sephiroth. He settled further into the bush, paying no mind to the thorns that threatened to prick his skin. The noise died away, and he was in silence once more. He tensed, ready to make any quick movements, whether it was to attack or to get out of the way.

  
_...and saw Fox smiling and swishing his tail. Fox's friends – Wolf, Weasel, Owl, and Bear – were also smiling. Their smiles_ _had_ _no warmth, no merriment, no friendship. Rabbit leaped to his feet and said..._  


An intense feeling shot through Sephiroth, the sense that something was watching him and preparing to attack. He looked up and dodged, turning around and running full speed into Jenova, tackling her to the ground and pinning her down. He sat on top of her back, caging her and preventing escape.

He fought to keep her down, sometimes being overpowered, and sometimes doing the overpowering. The roles were reversed multiple times, though no attempts at causing injury were made. The wrestling, running, hiding and seeking continued, and Sephiroth refused to give in even as he found himself out of breath.

Dawn approached, light yellow and blue starting to paint the retreating night sky. Sephiroth agreed with his mother on a draw – there were no winners to this game. He gladly returned home through the shadows, relieved to see the kitchen interior again.

A small pang hit him; it was the wish to see more of the familiar landscape that was near the place he and his brothers had grown up and spent most of their lives in. Sephiroth didn't get the chance to appreciate being so close to his old home. The final line of the story he had heard during childhood recited itself in his mind, staying in the original language instead of being translated into the newer one.

  
_...Urani dotosta, "Nae omoa-taku lauka de?"_   


* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年5月2日（木）

Finished: 2013年5月6日（月）

Translation of the last sentence: _...Rabbit said, "Why are you smiling?"_ Urani - rabbit, dotosta - said, nae - why, omoa - you, taku - (makes things plural), lauka - smile. It's a language I made up. In every fic I've seen, when something is in another language, it's almost always in Japanese. I friggin' love a bunch of stuff from Japan and have been trying to learn Japanese through the internet for a while, but my knowledge of the language is very limited, and the idea of a second language being Japanese has been done a bunch of times already. Also, since I've made up my own language to make them speak, I can make them say whatever I want them to and it won't be wrong! XD

One more day of November, and then we'll be moving on to December.


	24. Chapter 24

15 November 1979

Cloud stirred awake next to his mother, his bladder shouting from the haze of sleep that it needed to be relieved – immediately.

He sat up, taking care not to move too much, and shook his mother.

"Mama... Gotta pee," he said, still not fully awake. His mother didn't move a muscle. Cloud shook her as hard as he could without feeling like he was going to pee himself. "Mama... wake up..."

He wasn't loud enough. Cloud looked out at the rest of the room, but it was too dark to see anything. He really didn't want to, but something was urging him to stop trying to wake his mother up and go out to the bathroom by himself. The call persisted, and Cloud slowly and reluctantly slid out of bed, sticking his hands out in front of him. The dark scared him a little, and he twitched, almost jumping out of his skin, when he touched the wall. He found the doorknob and twisted it, pulling the door open.

 _To the right_ , the voice, sounding like Sephiroth, told him. But where was the right?

"Cloud..."

Upon hearing his name, Cloud walked straight into Sephiroth's arms with no fear. He settled into Sephiroth's lap and hugged him back.

"How come you're not sleeping?" Cloud asked quietly.

"Why aren't _you_ asleep?"

"I gotta pee really really bad." Cloud squirmed, having to go more than ever now. Sephiroth made him stand up and led him to the bathroom, turning the light on for Cloud and closing the door almost all the way. Cloud rubbed his eyes at the sudden flash of light and slipped his pants down. He would have fallen asleep to the sound of his pee hitting the toilet water if the light hadn't been on.

Finished, Cloud flushed the toilet and walked back towards the dark hallway, noticing that Sephiroth was looking away from him. Without turning around, Sephiroth grabbed Cloud by the hand and led him back to the room.

"Can I sleep with you?" Cloud asked quietly again, not wanting to wake his mother up. He missed being that close to Sephiroth and snuggling right next to him. While he had no problem sleeping with his mother, it just wasn't the same as being with Sephiroth.

"Not tonight."

"Please?" Cloud nearly begged.

"I can't let you, Cloud. Not tonight."

"Why?"

Sephiroth said nothing and instead sat down and brought Cloud close to himself, holding him at an angle that Cloud was able to rest in comfortably. Cloud lay still, Sephiroth's heartbeat and even breathing lulling him back to sleep.

* * *

Mrs. Strife tossed and turned, feeling that something wasn't right, that something was missing. The feeling kept on pestering her, and she rolled over to discover that Cloud was gone. Fearing the worst, Mrs. Strife rushed for the door as if she had the demons from hell on her heels.

The light trailing out into the doorway from her room allowed her to see. The wide grin plastered on Jenova's face paralyzed Mrs. Strife.

_No... No no no no no!_

"Quit it," a hushed voice said lowly, snapping Mrs. Strife out of her morbid thoughts on her baby boy's fate. Stepping further out of the room, Mrs. Strife let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding once Sephiroth, cradling a peaceful-looking Cloud in his arms, came into view. "Leave her alone already."

Mrs. Strife reached for Cloud, quickly settling him back into bed and turning the light off before going back to demand what was going on.

"Limit your vision to nothing, human. See what good it does you," she heard Jenova mutter condescendingly.

"What are you doing out here?" Mrs. Strife whispered.

"I noticed that your little stalker–" Jenova interrupted Sephiroth's explanation with a noise that sounded like air quickly escaping from an oxygen tank before getting trapped again "–also took it upon herself to stick around at night."

Mrs. Strife held her hand over her heart, clenching the hand into a fist. She couldn't believe Jenova wanted to get her that badly. She did get some relief that Jenova apparently wasn't after Cloud; not a scratch was to be seen on her son. But...how long had this been going on?

"...and you just made the game less fun."

"You think this is a game?!" Mrs. Strife almost yelled before she remembered that Cloud was asleep.

"This was very, very interesting up until the human opened its never-closing mouth. I've lost enough motivation to where I need some convincing to continue for tonight."

"Get out of here," Sephiroth said.

"What a killjoy – is that what they say now? Yes, I think so. What a killjoy you are."

Mrs. Strife heard very light shuffling and retreated back into the room, coming back out again when she heard no more.

"Don't worry about Cloud. He needed a bathroom break and wouldn't go back to bed."

"How long?" Mrs. Strife asked before Sephiroth left.

"Hm?"

"How long were you two doing this?"

"That's not important."

"Yes it is!" Mrs. Strife quietly exclaimed. "You couldn't have been getting any sleep for a while. Don't think I haven't noticed your tired looks."

"It's not important," Sephiroth repeated. "It'll all end tomorrow."

"...What?"

Sephiroth didn't answer. Mrs. Strife tried to reach out into the direction she had seen him, but he had already moved. She then heard a door open and close.

Confused and shocked by what she discovered tonight, Mrs. Strife sat by Cloud's side on the bed, staying that way the rest of the night without heeding the tiredness creeping into her eyes and mind telling her to sleep.

* * *

The bandersnatch wasn't moving, nor was he breathing. The way Bat lay curled up nearly fooled Jenova into thinking he was sleeping, but she knew better. She shook the lifeless body, denying that the inevitable had finally come.

No movement whatsoever. The animal had finally passed away.

Putting her fury to some use, Jenova carried the limp body outdoors, searching for a good place to put it to rest. All of Mt. Nibel was covered in nothing but rock, so the burial site was located near the foot of the mountain, where patches of grass grew among the dry earth. Here Jenova began to dig, using nothing but her hands.

"Why can't you use a shovel, Mother?"

Kadaj lazily dragged said tool towards Jenova and handed it to her. Jenova didn't take it, instead staring down at the tiny dip in the dirt she had made.

She suddenly jumped at Kadaj, almost knocking him over as she held him in a tight embrace. Kadaj stood there awkwardly before releasing the shovel and hugging her back.

Bat's passing held her in a small state of grief, but she would never ever recover if one of her sons – any of them – ever died. It was times like these, where when any pets she had died of old age, that she was grateful that her sons would continue living and never perish... as long as they were careful to not be so reckless in a fight.

"I've been missing you," Jenova confessed, ignoring the lank and greasiness of Kadaj's hair as she pressed her face next to his. "It's been too quiet."

"I'm not loud," Kadaj denied. He was released, then he grabbed the shovel and leaned on it. Looking down at the dead bandersnatch, he said, "Got too old, right?"

"Just like the ones before." Rauhanlaa, Eire, Ototo, Maneki, Zolat, uncountable others... and now Bat. If they didn't die from fighting or illnesses, it was always old age.

Jenova took the shovel from Kadaj and resumed digging, no more words being exchanged. Kadaj volunteered to dig several times, but Jenova turned him down. It took hours, and it wasn't until near the crack of dawn that Bat was finally lowered into the hole and covered with the loose dirt.

"Why is he dead already after such a short life and that human gets to live way longer?"

"It's the way things are," Jenova said simply. She herself didn't know the answer. She made her way back home, Kadaj following along behind her.

"It's not fair."

"Most things usually aren't."

"I know, but... That human. I-I want to kill her. I really do."

Kadaj's admission didn't surprise Jenova. Hell, she'd made it obvious that she was feeling the same way.

"You cannot. And neither can I."

"Why?"

"It involves a mess the human got itself into." She cut Kadaj off before he could ask anything else. "In time."

"When exactly?"

"In time."

Kadaj silently fumed a little. Among the things he hated, not knowing was one of them.

"You are not to hurt Cloud, either."

At this, Kadaj stopped in his tracks. "So now he's real important. More important than me," he muttered lowly.

The old sibling rivalry was flaring up again, this time against two opposing sides that weren't even related by blood.

"I have four sons. One isn't always what some make him seem to be, another is very independent, yet another still acts child-like, and the last has always taken it upon himself to compete for attention from the very start. Which one sounds like Cloud to you?"

"...none of them."

"Exactly. The only reason I don't want you laying a hand on him, not even to scare him, is because he's only three. If you want to start fights, start them when he's old enough to actually defend himself."

Silence passed between them once more. The house came within sight and Jenova held the door open, allowing Kadaj to go back inside after two weeks of exile.

"Nothing can ever replace any of you, and nothing ever will." With that said, Jenova left Kadaj to his own devices, informing him that he could not do anything to the human until she said so.

* * *

Loz was building a fort out of blocks to set his fictional army on while Yazoo was reading, as they usually did when Kadaj walked in.

"You look gross," Loz observed. Yazoo didn't even look up. Stupid nerd.

"Oh, really? Never would have guessed," Kadaj said sarcastically. "Did I miss anything here while I was gone?"

"Nah. 'Cept Yazoo's being reading some story about a guy named Dildo."

"Bilbo. His name is _Bilbo_ ," Yazoo ground out, annoyed.

"Shut up, nerd."

Loz looked around guiltily. "Kadaj..."

"What?"

"I'm sorry."

"For ratting me out?"

"No. Kadaj, I'm _sorry_."

A rotting stench suddenly invaded Kadaj's nostrils and he clamped his hands over his nose. Loz burst into hysterical laughter.

"You asshole! Why would you do that?!"

"I really do hate it when you spring us with the silent ones..." Yazoo opened the window and stuck his head outside. Kadaj joined him, hogging up the little space the small window provided.

Loz's laughter died down. "After you had to go, nothing really happened. Well, one thing did. That dumb lady was talking shit about Mother."

"She what?!" Kadaj wrenched his head away from the window. That bitch! Ohhh, he really wanted to wrench and pop her head off, wanted to rip off her arms, wanted to -

_Not yet. Not until I say so._

"Yeah, and then the big dummy ran outside and almost got eaten!" Loz continued.

"I saw that part. Sucks it didn't happen." _Damn you, Sephiroth. Should've let the whore die._

"It doesn't matter anyways," Yazoo said, still at the window. "The kid's going to leave once he turns four, and that means the woman will leave, too. So when he leaves, we'll get Sephiroth back, and when the woman leaves along with the kid, we won't ever have to see her again unless we go into town. Why didn't that go through your head the first time around?"

Kadaj didn't give two shits about what would happen after they left. He knew that Sephiroth wasn't going to be the same way ever again for as long as the little chocobo shit lived. And the bitch that brought it into the world had to die, too – she was the one taking up the extra space in the house, the one eating up more of the food, everything!

And now she was insulting his mother. That was the last straw.

"Don't bother. I'm pretty sure Mother's been getting her back." Yazoo stepped around Loz's figures and blocks scattered around the floor. "Can't say for sure exactly what's been going on since I haven't gotten out of here much, but something is definitely happening." He sat on his bed.

"Any ideas?"

"I know for sure that she and Sephiroth have been stalking that woman, but Sephiroth isn't helping Mother."

"Yeah, I've seen them doing that," Loz confirmed. "It looks like they made some kind of bet."

Kadaj snorted. "So now Sephiroth's on the human's side, too?"

"No," Yazoo interjected before Kadaj could gripe. "He's not against Mother out of the kindness of his heart for the woman. It's because of the kid."

Another reason Kadaj wanted to kill the brat as slowly and painfully as possible. Everything was changing for the worse because of it. If only the bitch had never come... Why couldn't she have died?

"How'd you find all of that out, nerd?" Kadaj was feeling destructive. He just _had_ to rile somebody up – anybody.

"Because we're not stupid like you." Loz looked down as his fort was completely destroyed by Kadaj's violent kick. "Dammit, right before the prisoners were set on fire." He shot Kadaj an irritated look.

"Don't cry, Loz," Yazoo taunted.

Loz didn't reply. Kadaj was too tired to try to escalate things into a full out fight. He began to climb up to the top bunk bed.

"You're not going to wash off all the blood and crap on your face?" Yazoo inquired.

"Screw you," was all Kadaj gave as an answer. It had been way too long since he'd slept in a bed. He threw himself on the mattress, letting out a small cry of pain as his back throbbed. Pulling back the blanket, he discovered Loz's metal cars strategically placed in now messed up rows.

"What the hell is this?!" Kadaj threw a car at Loz's head. His brother caught it.

"I needed somewhere to put them," Loz said innocently.

"Ever thought of the closet?"

"I was too lazy." Loz grinned at the anger emanating from Kadaj.

Kadaj threw the rest of the cars onto the floor and rolled over, pulling the blanket over himself for more comfort. One of these days he was going to look for a screwdriver, loosen the screws, and shake his bed like crazy to crush Loz in his sleep.

* * *

16 November 1979

It was all ending by tonight. Sephiroth guaranteed it. Though he really didn't want to, he had to take advantage of his mother's mourning over the dead wolf. It was while he was confronted by Mrs. Strife that he learned of Jenova's unfortunate discovery, and if he didn't take the chance now, there would probably never be another.

His mother wasn't going after Mrs. Strife for at least another day or two, and he knew it. He and his family had all the time in the world, and when another living thing's time was up, it never ceased to surprise them.

Remembering that, he then remembered that Cloud was human, and, therefore, mortal, too. The one hundred years, assuming Cloud ever lived that long, were going to pass by in a flash, and it left a sinking feeling inside him. But... there had to be a way to stop that. There just had to. Sephiroth would do anything to find that way.

However, he had to come back to the present, and it was after sunrise that Sephiroth roused Yazoo.

 _I need you to help me out with a raid._ He didn't expect a reply, instead waiting outside for his brother.

Yazoo didn't take very long. They set off for Nibelheim without another word.

"Kadaj is back," Yazoo suddenly notified.

"Good for him." Sephiroth was confident that Kadaj wouldn't try anything. Not so soon after being let in, anyways.

"So... in whatever's been going on... Who's winning?"

"Nobody so far. Hopefully it stays that way by tonight." Sephiroth rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. They were starting to feel heavier and heavier each day. "Anyways, the raid's the same as last time. But just get chocolate along with whatever you want."

"Alright. Think we can get away with a lot more now that it's really early?"

"Let's find out."

They sped down to the general store, Sephiroth opening the door and strutting through it, leaving it open for Yazoo to slip inside. The clerk eyed him warily more so than usual, suspicious of why Sephiroth decided to bust in so early. Sephiroth made a show of walking to the fridge and sticking his face in it as he decided what drinks to take.

 _I want a cola this time_ , Yazoo requested. Sephiroth grabbed a cola and a root beer, closing the fridge door after deciding to take grape soda for Cloud to try this time around.

Sephiroth ate up more time by checking out the miscellaneous stuff, taking a bottle of bubbles. Yazoo zipped out of the store. Sephiroth took the sodas and the bubbles to the front counter, placing the gil needed on the hard surface. He took a quick glance under the counter, where the pain-relieving medicines and other simple-looking bottles were at, before taking a huge container of sleeping pills and slipping it into his pocket.

The clerk looked at the bubbles, then at Sephiroth with some disbelief.

 _What?_ Sephiroth sarcastically asked, keeping the one-sided conversation to himself. _I fucking_ love _bubbles, bitch._

Once his things were paid for, Sephiroth didn't hesitate to get out of there. Yazoo waited for him near the Shinra mansion, and they set off for home.

Cloud was waiting for Sephiroth when they returned, and Yazoo took his share of treats and the can of cola before leaving.

For the rest of the day, Sephiroth dodged Mrs. Strife's attempts at questioning him, using excuses that had some sort of mention of Cloud. He busied himself with doing what he normally did with Cloud, and even got the chance to let Cloud drink the grape soda. If the way Cloud almost literally bounced off the walls was any indication, then the little boy really did enjoy the can of purple crack. Seeing the hyper little kid was hilarious to Sephiroth, though Mrs. Strife didn't find it as amusing and gave Sephiroth an earful.

"Come here, Cloud," Mrs. Strife called. "Bedtime."

"But I don't wanna go to sleep," Cloud whined from the pillow fort Sephiroth had constructed. "I'm not tired," he said for emphasis.

"You have to go to sleep." Mrs. Strife bent over and peered into the shelter. "Come here."

"How come Sephiroth doesn't have to go to sleep?"

 _I've been wanting to for a while already..._ Sephiroth thought. If his plan went through well enough, he'd be able to catch at least a few hours.

"You have to sleep because you're still little. Sephiroth can go to sleep whenever he wants."

"I'm not little! I'm a big boy now!"

"Cloud, you still have to go to sleep." Mrs. Strife reached into the fort and pulled out a resisting Cloud.

"No! I don't wanna!" Cloud furiously kicked at the air.

Sephiroth stayed out of it and went to the kitchen to take out two cups. Cloud's rebellions didn't happen often, but they weren't always easy to sit through. It took a lot of patience.

Mrs. Strife didn't say anything back as she took Cloud upstairs to put him to bed. Holy hell was he difficult sometimes.

Sephiroth poured some juice into the cups, crushing and dumping half of the sleeping pills into one of them. Jenova hated anything sweet, but couldn't stay away from the stuff for some reason. He poured more sugar into the tainted drink to arouse less suspicion. She'd definitely have some suspicion towards Sephiroth's intentions, but as long as she drank the juice spiked with the drugs, then it wouldn't matter.

Passing by Cloud's room with the cups in his hands, he noticed the kid laying on the bed with a pout. Cloud gave Sephiroth a _help me_ kind of look.

 _Go to bed_ , Sephiroth said firmly. Cloud's pout turned into a frown. His displeasure coursed through Sephiroth, who only shook it off and twisted the knob to Jenova's room, finding the door locked. Swearing under his breath, he quickly set out to look for something thin, but strong. He found a paperclip among the random junk in the drawers under the TV, and picked the lock, the door swinging open to reveal a cut and bloodied Jenova.

Putting the drinks down, Sephiroth ran forward to snatch the knife away from his mother. Jenova tried to yank it back, but didn't put up much of a fight, obviously weary.

"I'd like to have that back. If you will..." Jenova extended her right arm, the bloody one decorated with long, deep cuts.

Instead of returning the knife, Sephiroth gave her the clean juice. Jenova looked at the drink with disgust when she received it and purposefully tipped the container over to spill the juice, letting the cup fall to the floor as well.

"After the few seconds I spent slaving over making that for you," Sephiroth said mock scoldingly.

"Strangely, uncharacteristically, and unusually nice of you, but it's not necessary." The cuts weren't healing. She was forcing them to stay open.

"Drink this and I'll give it back." He doubted that she was going to fall for it, but it was worth a try.

Jenova made her kssh sound and grinned. Sephiroth mimicked her, shoving the other cup – the one he couldn't lose – in her face.

"You do remember what determines the winner, don't you?"

"If I fall asleep, you win. If there are two or more of you, I win." It was easier said than done in Sephiroth's case. It would be much simpler if he just gave up, but no – he couldn't. He reminded himself that he was doing this for Cloud, so he wouldn't have to lose a parent. Mrs. Strife had briefly mentioned that her partner had died before Cloud was even born, and if Mrs. Strife were to die... Cloud didn't deserve that, even if it would be a horrible means of having him stay.

"Do not consider this a victory. If you sleep at any time, I _will_ know." Shit. She was up to something. "What exactly is in there?"

"Why don't you find out?"

An eternity later, Jenova finally took the juice and chugged it, gagging at the taste. Sephiroth waited there, making sure that she didn't throw it all up. He waited and waited until the drugs started to kick in, then he left, closing the door behind him.

Sephiroth didn't sleep for the rest of the night, instead pondering over what tricks his mother had up her sleeve.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年5月9日（木）

Finished: 2013年5月16日（木）

Finally! I had promised that the chapter after this one would be in December, so I had to hold onto this one a little longer. The game is almost over, too. O_o The results will also come in the next chapter.

Kadaj "borrowed" the shovel, of course.


	25. Chapter 25

20 December 1979

Cloud struggled to breathe as his mother wrapped a scarf around his mouth and the lower part of the back of his head. He stiffly and impatiently waited for her to finish putting on what she said he would need to go outside.

He had pleaded, begged, and nearly cried to go outside ever since he saw Loz speed out the door yelling, "Snow!" Looking out the window, he had seen little white things falling out of the sky and landing on the ground. Snowflakes, his mother had said they were. Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo were almost always outside, and Cloud often saw Sephiroth staring wistfully out the window. Hearing Sephiroth talk about the fun that could be had in the snow and not paying much attention to Mrs. Strife's saying that snow was, in actuality, not always as fun as Cloud thought it was, Cloud had talked about nothing but snow, and had not wanted to hear about anything else. With some convincing from Sephiroth, Mrs. Strife had finally relented.

Mrs. Strife pulled the hood over Cloud's head, leaving him with a tiny strip to see through, and sat him on the bed to put his shoes on. Finally, after stuffing his hands into some mittens, she declared him ready.

"Wait for me. I need to put some snow clothes on, too." His mother turned to put on her furry coat, and Cloud slid off the bed and sluggishly waddled to the door. The bulky clothing made moving nearly impossible, and that, coupled with his lack of vision, made tripping over much easier.

Cloud's "oof!" alerted his mother, and she stood him up on his feet, hastily checking if he was hurt. Cloud tried to pull away and head towards the stairs, but his mother wouldn't release him.

"I wanna go, Mama!" Cloud said impatiently. "Let's go, let's go!"

"I'm not done yet, Cloud," Mrs. Strife sighed. She continued to hold onto Cloud to keep him from running off and tried to finish putting her furs on with difficulty. Cloud pulled and hopped on his feet, frustrated that his mother was taking even longer now.

Feeling his mother wrap her arms around him to pick him up, Cloud waved his legs back and forth, running in the air as if that would make her move faster. Mrs. Strife carried Cloud outside, pulling the hood completely over his face as a gust of wind attacked them.

* * *

Sephiroth dragged his foot across the solid ground, disturbing some of the loose pebbles and snow and watched as the falling ice scurried to cover the black rock hidden underneath. He exhaled quietly, almost inaudibly, as he breezed through his recent memory.

"...we were at it for about a month and a half," Sephiroth continued to explain, wanting to get it over as soon as possible, "and the night you came back in–" Kadaj, having been the one to constantly demand an explanation, leaned closer towards Sephiroth. Loz followed suit while Yazoo feigned indifference. "–was the exact same night I took a chance and knocked her out."

"With what?"

"Sleep drugs."

"How much did you give her?" Yazoo's disbelief grew when Sephiroth gestured with his hands to answer the second question.

"No wonder..." Kadaj said bitterly, giving Sephiroth an ugly look.

"Believe me, I am regretting it."

"Doesn't look like you are," Loz accused.

"I am," Sephiroth genuinely. "I kicked her when she was down and probably did more damage than I had thought." He rubbed at his head. "And then..."

Kadaj groaned, irritated with the pause. "What now?"

"I lost."

Silence reigned for half a minute. Then Yazoo began his sarcastic applause. Kadaj and Loz joined him.

"You three are the worst sometimes." Putting his annoyance aside, Sephiroth said, "Mother did seem to go along with it awfully well. By the time I found out what she was up to, it was too late. No matter how hard I shook her, she couldn't wake up anymore."

"Even a King Behemoth wouldn't be able to shake that off in less than a few days," Yazoo said, shaking his head. "There's nothing else to do except wait."

"True," Sephiroth agreed, "and at first, I thought I could wait until she woke up. Short time later, I pass out. Don't even start," he said sternly. His brothers froze, their arms suspended in the air. Loz then stared intensely back at Sephiroth and defiantly clapped anyways.

Kadaj snickered. "How could you not have seen that?" Suddenly, he sobered and dropped his arms back to his sides. "You really wasted your time on that human, though. And it really wasn't worth it for Mother to sleep on purpose."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Mother told Kadaj that she couldn't kill that dumb lady," Loz said.

"Why didn't anybody tell me this earlier?" Sephiroth asked calmly. He knew just how much his mother loved to mess with people, but his brothers wouldn't keep something like this a secret. Well, Kadaj would, considering all that had been going on, but Yazoo _never_ kept Sephiroth in the dark, except when something that he didn't want _anybody_ to know happened.

"Why didn't you tell us about the game?" Yazoo countered.

"It was between me and her," Sephiroth said stiffly. "But that's not important right now. Did Mother say why she couldn't kill her? "

"Apparently, it had something to do with a mess the human got herself into," Kadaj answered.

The whole conversation was slowly but surely driving the four of them to near insanity. However, this new revelation brought forth possible answers instead of feeble reaches for guesses. Sephiroth pondered over the first arrival of Mrs. Strife, her reason for having to stay with them, and the day she and Cloud were to leave. Mrs. Strife was here because she needed help to survive the winter, but there were already a few problems with that. One: At the time, Mrs. Strife only needed help during that winter three years ago – four years was an extreme amount of time for her to stay. Two: It would have been much simpler to gather supplies and bring them to Mrs. Strife. Three: He, Jenova, and his brothers believed, though Sephiroth sometimes found himself having to disagree with the idea, that if one wanted to gain something, something else (or a combination of things) of equal value had to be given up.

Sephiroth almost hit himself. Almost. He'd never cared about Mrs. Strife to bother thinking about her situation before, and he hated that such an easy conclusion flew over his head. Mrs. Strife was in deep hell for making a Deal, and Cloud was going to be affected in some way. No ifs – Cloud was _definitely_ going to be affected, at least a little. Sephiroth was either going to have to pressure the details out of Mrs. Strife or really pull teeth and try to get something out of Jenova.

"When Mother wakes up, pretend nothing happened," Sephiroth said. "Until she isn't so out of it." His brothers agreed without protest.

Grateful for the peace, even if it wasn't going to last very long, Sephiroth relaxed a bit as the wind picked up and scattered more snow around Mt. Nibel. The cold felt heavenly, and he savored every moment of it. It was never cold enough for him on Mt. Nibel, though the winter seasons did at least provide temperatures low enough for him to feel a heavy breeze. It reminded him of the Northern Continent, and again he missed it.

 _One day_ , he swore. One day, he'll return to his home. And he thought of possibly bringing Cloud with him, when the boy was old enough.

Footsteps snapped him out of his thoughts, and he quickly turned in the direction of the sound, instinct urging him to be on the alert now. He vaguely sensed his brothers getting into a pouncing stance with him.

A lumbering figure moved pitifully slowly and held a squirming bundle. Alert state semi-gone, Sephiroth approached it and confirmed his first assumption.

"Where were you?" Cloud scolded, straining to turn around in all the layers of clothing covering him. Sephiroth could barely see Cloud's eyes through his hood.

Mr. Strife's greeting was very different from Cloud's playful one. "What are you doing outside without a coat?!"

 _Nag, nag, nag!_ Loz grumbled. Sephiroth silently agreed with him.

"It's not that cold," Sephiroth said defensively.

Mrs. Strife looked at him with shock. "It's _freezing_!"

Sephiroth scoffed. "No it isn't."

Cloud's mother refused to believe him. "We're turning around right now – all of us," she emphasized after noticing Sephiroth's brothers, "and we're all going to get dressed properly if we want to go and play in the snow."

"No, mama, no!" Cloud cried. He reached out towards Sephiroth with both arms. Mrs. Strife held onto him more tightly. "I don't want to go home! I wanna go play!"

"And we're not going home," Sephiroth said coolly, turning and leading the way down the mountain. He sensed Kadaj erect barriers over his mind – his brother didn't want anything to do with him. Strangely, however, Kadaj still followed along with them, and was even the first to slide down the slope.

Mrs. Strife stopped her lecturing and scolding for a minute – and Sephiroth nearly sighed in relief at finally being able to rest after tuning her out – and looked over the steep slide, quickly stepping back and holding Cloud away from it.

"Where does this lead?" Mrs. Strife asked nervously.

"It's a shortcut," Sephiroth explained. He moved over a step to let Yazoo slide down next. Mrs. Strife panicked and yelled after Yazoo, trying to stop him from sliding.

"Calm down!" Loz said, exasperated.

"We should go the regular way," Mrs. Strife said quickly while trying to comfort a startled Cloud. "This is too dangerous."

"Kadaj and Yazoo are fine," Sephiroth said, gesturing towards the bottom of the slope. "Look."

And, just as he said, Yazoo was in one piece without a single mark on him. Mrs. Strife, however, was very intent on getting her way.

"It isn't safe," she insisted.

"Yes it is," Sephiroth argued back. "Show her, Loz."

Loz took a running leap off the slope, landing on his feet partway down and sliding the rest of the way, shouting, "Suiciiiiiiiide!"

"What's swiss-side?" Cloud asked.

"Something you should never, ever do," Mrs. Strife answered seriously, still not trusting the slope.

 _Just push her off if you have to_ , Yazoo said. _Or make her go back._

Pushing wasn't something Sephiroth wanted to do while Mrs. Strife was holding onto Cloud. Pulling, however, was good enough for him.

He didn't know who screamed more – Cloud or his mother.

* * *

It was colder than she remembered it being, and, as she lifted a heavy, aching arm to pull the makeshift curtain to the side, bright. Blindingly so.

Jenova let the nearly useless limb to fall back onto the bed and became out of breath. Her body was starved past the point of hunger, and she felt nausea settle in and try to force its way out.

The dry heaving helped somewhat with being able to regain movement. A hot flash surged through Jenova as she sat up and fought off the heaviness, clinging sleep, and disorientation.

It was finally snowing. There was no guessing to where everybody else was. As quickly as she could, Jenova trudged towards the stairs.

The human wasn't here. She had to keep watch, make sure it didn't try to leave with Cloud. Too much time had passed for everything to fail.

* * *

The slide was fun, though it was scary at first. Cloud didn't know why his mother was still scared. She was still shaking, and the ride had been over for a while already. At least she put him down. He lumbered towards Sephiroth, dragging out his walk to listen to the sinking _crunch crunch_ noises under his feet. The snow came up past his ankles, and he had to be extra careful to stay upright this time.

"Can we do that again?" Cloud asked eagerly.

"No, no, not again!" Mrs. Strife exclaimed breathlessly.

"Maybe another time," Sephiroth said. "Come here." He turned and half-dragged his feet through the snow, leaving two trails behind him. Cloud mimicked him, looking at the path he made while his mother held his hand and followed after Sephiroth. The snow lightly fell and stuck to his coat. Disappointingly, the flakes melted when Cloud tried to touch them. He looked straight up into the sky, which was light grey and slightly cloudy. A snowflake fell on his nose and he rubbed it away. His mother pulled the hood back over him so that it covered most of his face again.

Sephiroth stopped at an empty area. It was hard to tell, but it looked like the place where Sephiroth had first taken Cloud. Cloud marveled at how the snow made everything different. It was still very cold, but nowhere near as bad as the mountain, and instead of a multitude of colors splashed across the environment, it was plain white. Cloud wondered if it was possible to make snow any color besides white. Maybe some blue snow with green speckles.

Yelling and a flurry of snow brought Cloud out of his fantasy and he saw Loz shoving snow into a writhing Kadaj's pants in the distance. Yazoo was bending over, scooping snow into a pile far away from them by himself. Cloud waddled over to him, reaching about half the distance before Sephiroth scooped him up and carried him over there.

"What are you doing?" Cloud asked curiously.

"Building a fort," Yazoo said almost inaudibly.

"Why?"

Instead of answering, Yazoo looked back at Kadaj and Loz who were wrestling and kicking up snow before getting back to work. Sephiroth sat on his haunches and scooped more snow onto Yazoo's small pile.

"Can I help?" Cloud asked.

"I guess," Yazoo said, not looking at Cloud.

Cloud looked at his mother who was worriedly watching something that Cloud couldn't see.

"What about Mama?"

This time, Yazoo froze. He looked between Sephiroth and Cloud's mother, then hesitated.

"...I guess," he finally said, resuming his fort-building like nothing had happened.

Cloud scooped up as much snow as he could, though he ended up dropping more than half of it, and dumped a small pile near the bigger one. His mother suggested that they work on making a pile on the left side of the current one and then connect the two together so nobody gets in each other's way. Cloud agreed without complaint, and, with his mother's help, managed to make a medium-sized hill. Moving farther to collect more snow, Cloud and his mother left their creation unattended, not thinking of anything that might undo their work. A blur and a destroyed mini-fort later, Cloud was so angry tears nearly started to leak from his eyes.

Kadaj returned to Loz's side, smug at Cloud's outward reaction. Loz smacked Kadaj on the back, knocking him down, and laughed.

 _I'll get him for you_ , Cloud heard Sephiroth say in his mind. _Go bring me some more snow while I fix your fort._

And Cloud did just that, putting more force into his step to make the sinking and crunching noises louder. He sniffed, holding his anger in.

"Are you alright?" his mother asked him. She looked at Kadaj with disapproval.

Cloud nodded and brought two handfuls of snow back to Sephiroth. His fort was reconstructed, and it looked a little better than it originally did. He helped Sephiroth connect the forts together and make the second one taller. By the time everything was finished, the wall of snow was about as tall as Cloud when he was standing up but towered over him when he sat against it.

His nose was getting runny. He sniffed a couple of times as he watched Sephiroth mold some snow into a ball and throw it.

A chorus of "Lame!" "Lame!" "Ultra lame!" "Very lame!" shot back. Cloud stood on tiptoe to peek at the other side. Kadaj and Loz didn't have a fort of their own.

"Your retorts are pitiful," Sephiroth replied loud enough for them to hear.

"Loser!" Kadaj yelled, throwing a snowball. Cloud fell onto his butt, blinking away water and small chunks of melting ice.

He tried to keep quiet and get back up. He really tried. But he couldn't handle it anymore. The tears came out first, and then the angry sobs. While his mother rushed to comfort him, asking if he was hurt, Cloud wished things would happen to Kadaj.

Bad things. Like Kadaj falling down. Then when he asks for help, Cloud would say no because of the mean things Kadaj had done. That big, no good, dirty buttface deserved it!

"'m okay," he sniffed, rubbing at his now red and freezing nose, irritating it more than his mother did when she wiped off all the water.

His mother rose to her full height and, with a determined look on her face, marched towards Kadaj.

Sephiroth squatted down next to Cloud with an open arm. He wrapped the arm around Cloud's body and picked him up. Cloud instinctively slumped over Sephiroth's shoulder, staying limp and relaxed.

 _I'll get him for you,_ Sephiroth repeated.

"Can you hit him?" Cloud said out loud. Closing his eyes, he sniffed again. Sephiroth felt very warm from where the left side of Cloud's face made contact with the juncture between Sephiroth's neck and shoulder.

"No."

"Why not?" Cloud whined. He dug his nose into Sephiroth's warmth to chase the cold away.

"I can't hit him."

Cloud pouted at that. "But why?"

"He's going to do something," Yazoo interrupted. Cloud opened his eyes and saw Yazoo watching Mrs. Strife and his brothers. He felt himself slip downwards as Sephiroth put him back on the ground.

Sephiroth concentrated his gaze in the same spot Yazoo was looking. Wondering what the big deal was about, Cloud stepped in front of the fort to see.

His mother was talking in a raised voice – Cloud couldn't make out what she was saying, but he knew for sure that she was scolding – and making gestures to emphasize her words. Kadaj appeared to be paying little attention to her, but his expression was slowly changing for the worse.

"Don't you ever just _shut up_?" he asked rhetorically, exasperated.

Cloud nearly exploded. He picked up some snow and balled it up.

Mrs. Strife was dumbfounded, then insulted. She now began to lecture Kadaj on being rude. Sephiroth's youngest brother gave no warning before suddenly shoving Mrs. Strife backwards.

"YOU LEAVE MAMA ALONE!" Cloud screamed, running at Kadaj as fast as he could and throwing the snowball at him.

The projectile never reached Kadaj, but that didn't stop him from murderously speed walking towards Cloud. Cloud backed up, stumbling over his feet and tripping. He curled up, waiting for Kadaj to do something.

That something never came. Cloud held onto his mother as she helped him get back on his feet.

Sephiroth had one arm tightly wrapped around Kadaj's head, pressing his brother against himself.

"I think you've had enough of picking on little kids," Sephiroth said. He then muttered some things to Kadaj that Cloud couldn't hear before releasing him.

Kadaj wasted no time in jumping on Sephiroth and, together with Loz, tried to bring him down. Sephiroth stumbled when Loz barreled into him but didn't fall, instead using a foot to trip Loz. Kadaj was thrown right onto Loz after Sephiroth pried him off.

Cloud watched the fight as his mother pulled him away, not moving or making a sound as his mother worriedly fussed over him. His shock wore off quickly, and then he remembered.

"Are you okay, mama?"

Mrs. Strife blinked a few times before shaking her head. "I'm fine Cloud, but it's not me you should be worried about."

"Nerd! Quit standing there and help us!" Kadaj yelled, pulling at Sephiroth's hair while Loz kept on trying to push Sephiroth over.

Yazoo hadn't moved from his original spot. He reacted as if nobody was there and idly drew patterns in the snow with his finger.

"You're almost as useless as Loz!" Kadaj spat, regaining his balance after Sephiroth tripped him.

"Shut up! I'm on your side, remember?" Loz threw a punch at Sephiroth, managing to hit his arm. Sephiroth brushed it off and lifted his brother before slamming him back onto the ground.

"And here I stand, waiting for the day the squabbles will finally end."

"Mother!" Kadaj cried.

Cloud watched as all four of the brothers ran and made a circle around Jenova, blocking her from view. He tugged at his mother's hand which was holding his, and she reluctantly let him approach the crowd.

He couldn't catch much of what they were saying other than demands for a "splalation" – whatever that was – over who won and who lost something and some annoyed comments from Sephiroth saying that Jenova should go home.

"But she just got here," Cloud butted in. Kadaj gave him an ugly glare, Loz gave him a fleeting glance, Yazoo didn't acknowledge Cloud at all, and Sephiroth looked down at him for second.

"But I just got here," Jenova agreed. "I also need the prize I couldn't collect long ago." She looked at Sephiroth smugly.

"What prize?" Cloud asked. "What did you win, Ba?"

"A free trip to the kitchen to make me a sandwich," Sephiroth said. "Or a pie. Pie is better. Get started on it, Susie."

"Ba's name is not Susie!" Cloud exclaimed.

"No it is not," Jenova agreed, grumbling a little.

"Go home, Susie," Sephiroth said, ignoring the previous statements.

"If she wants to stay, she's staying," Kadaj said defensively, switching from giving Cloud an ugly look to crossing his arms and giving Sephiroth a meaningful one.

Sephiroth looked back at Cloud. "Play in the snow for a bit."

Mrs. Strife pulled on Cloud's hand in the opposite direction. Cloud looked back at her, seeing her eying Jenova nervously, and protested.

"But I want to stay with you."

"I'll be there in a minute or two," Sephiroth said. Cloud pouted at that. If Sephiroth was going off somewhere, Cloud was going with him.

He flailed as his mother lifted him.

"No! No, I don't want to go!" he yelled.

"I'll show you how to build a snowman. I used to love to do that when I was a child," Mrs. Strife said quickly.

"I don't want to!" Cloud practically screamed. He tried to run when he was put down, only to get caught. "I don't want to, I don't want to!"

* * *

Sephiroth inwardly sighed in sympathy for Mrs. Strife. However, there was one issue he need to try to address at the moment.

"You fell asleep." It was not a question.

"I did," Sephiroth confirmed. "Apparently, it was all a waste of effort."

"It was," Jenova said. "For you," she added. Kadaj snickered a little at that – _Smart move_ , Sephiroth heard him taunt mentally – and Yazoo expressed some sympathy towards Sephiroth.

"So the lady really did get herself in trouble and make a Deal?" Loz asked. Jenova nodded. "What did she agree to?"

"I choose to keep that to myself." She picked a random direction and walked off.

"No, no," Sephiroth said, forming a barricade with his brothers. "You're not going anywhere."

"Go home, stay here. Go home, stay here," Jenova said thoughtfully. "Hmm, contradictions aren't easy to follow, much less do."

"Just give us some answers, Mother," Yazoo said.

"I'll do as I please. What I would like to do now is find a place to sit."

"Not until you tell us what's going on," Kadaj said. Sephiroth was relieved that he stopped worshiping their mother for a minute and actually said something against her.

"Telling you now would only spoil everything," Jenova said cryptically. "In time, everything shall be revealed."

"Why would it spoil everything and why 'in time'?" Yazoo inquired.

"In time."

"When?" Loz asked, nearly whining.

"...nine months from now," Jenova relented.

"That's August," Sephiroth said. "That's when Cloud is supposed to leave." _Why that exact month?_

"Tell us now," Kadaj said impatiently, half demanding and half pleading.

"Nine months from now. No less," Jenova said firmly.

Neither Sephiroth nor any of his brothers were satisfied with waiting that long. All four took their turn trying to pry out real answers, even going as far as ganging up and presenting their arguments all at the same time.

* * *

Mrs. Strife rolled up some snow into a big ball, her calm but still slightly upset son assisting her. As she rolled the snow into a bigger and rounder sphere, her mind also rolled.

So much had happened, so much trouble was brewing all at the same time. First there was that strange game that Sephiroth and Jenova were playing. She never did figure out what exactly was happening between those two, but then the both of them disappeared. Cloud easily discovered that Sephiroth was only asleep (the poor man had had a lot of rest to catch up on), but who knew what Jenova was up to. Mrs. Strife still counted the few blessings she had left – at the very least, she hadn't had to worry about any encounters until now.

She took a peek at the circle. The eccentric family were still bickering, but it seemed to be getting less and less intense as the seconds flew by. Soon enough, the circle broke up, each member going their way. Sephiroth came over to help with the snowman, Yazoo took a position behind the still erect snow fort, and Kadaj and Loz started on their own fort directly across from Yazoo's. It was fine with her, but Jenova...

Jenova sat there, watching.

Waiting.

Mrs. Strife's nerves grew worse, and she tried to calm down without betraying her growing panic. She should have taken the chance. Her home was very close by – she should have taken the chance to escape with Cloud. But there was the chance that Jenova could have been alerted, either by one of her sons or by some other means.

It was too late now. She had a chance before, though it ranged between possible and slim, but now Jenova was watching her. Mrs. Strife felt that the scrutinizing gaze was permanently on her, watching her for the rest of her days.

Cloud, meanwhile, cheered up much more when Sephiroth returned. The snow man was half built in a short amount of time with the silence only being broken by Cloud and Sephiroth. Nothing other than their exchanges and the shouts from Kadaj and Loz and the sounds of snow hitting surfaces could be heard.

Mrs. Strife's head snapped up when she heard a growl and a surprised yelp. She clutched at her chest in horror when she saw a Nibel wolf digging its teeth into Kadaj's arm. Her horror grew when she realized that nobody was doing anything to help Kadaj.

"It's only Kajar," Sephiroth said calmly before Mrs. Strife could fully panic. "We used to keep him in the house until he got too wild."

It was a pet?! First a bandersnatch, then a Nibel wolf... What was next, dragons? _Sure, why not? L_ _et's add that to our dangerous petting zoo!_ Mrs. Strife imagined. Even though Kadaj had no visible marks on him, Mrs. Strife couldn't help but worry. She couldn't understand how it was all brushed off as normal, couldn't understand how Loz easily joined Kadaj in roughhousing with the wolf.

In the midst of it all, Mrs. Strife remembered Bat was no longer with Jenova. What had happened to it?

"He died of old age last month," Sephiroth answered, not paying attention to Cloud's sudden stop.

"Bat died?" Cloud asked with disbelief.

"Don't worry about it, Cloud," Mrs. Strife soothed. "Look – we're almost done with our snowman." She hoped that it was enough to distract him.

Cloud frowned, but didn't say anything more on the subject, instead asking, "Can I pet that wuff and play with it?"

"No," Sephiroth said quickly. "He bites a lot and is way too wild."

Mrs. Strife felt relief when Cloud didn't say anything after seeing for himself how wild the Nibel wolf really was. She bent over and dug under the snow to look for pebbles. It then struck her that Jenova had been very attached to the bandersnatch. So it died last month, which was also around the same time that Sephiroth and Jenova were gone...

Making up her mind, Mrs. Strife decided to take the risk. She handed a few pebbles to Cloud and told him that they were for the snowman's eyes and mouth before stepping towards the watchful figure sitting in the snow.

"I-I heard that your wolf died," Mrs. Strife began, unsure on what exactly to say, "and I'm sorry for your loss."

No reaction. Not even a blink.

Mrs. Strife continued, "I know what it's like when someone you love dies." She kept on, even with the lack of reaction and acknowledgement, "When I married my husband, I thought that we were going to have a long, happy life together." She sniffed as her throat started to burn. "We were together for two years when–" Her voice suddenly cracked. "–when he caught pneumonia. I was always by Lenras's side, and the coughing and wheezing was terrible – it had even given me nightmares some nights. I was scared that I might catch the illness, but I still stayed by him and did what I could to keep him comfortable." Mrs. Strife's voice distorted even more and tears began to leak from her eyes. "You might know this already, but there isn't a real doctor here in the town, so all I could do – all _we_ could do – was wait until he recovered on his own. Even though he was stubborn about it, I insisted that I do everything around the house while he stayed in bed." Mrs. Strife paused to draw a shaky breath.

"He didn't make it," she concluded, wiping the half-frozen tears from her face.

Jenova chewed on some snow, then suddenly made a choking sound. The choking noises continued at a frequent interval.

Mrs. Strife was touched and, admittedly, a little surprised. Her intentions were only to show Jenova that she wasn't alone and that Mrs. Strife truly did know what she was going through. Managing to pull a few of Jenova's emotional strings made Mrs. Strife realize that she really did have a heart in there somewhere.

Mrs. Strife stooped down to Jenova's level and slowly reached in for a hug.

"Don't touch me," Jenova choked out. She swallowed, and continued making the noises, now sounding like something other than choking.

Jenova hadn't been crying. She had been _laughing_.

Mrs. Strife teared up again, this time from hurt. She contemplated saying something to Jenova, but instead wiped her face again and retraced her steps back to the now complete snow man.

"Look, mama," Cloud said proudly. "We finished him."

"That's good," Mrs. Strife said, trying to hide the evidence of Jenova's doing from Cloud. She failed miserably.

"Are you okay, mama?" Cloud walked up to her, a concerned look escaping from what she could see of his face.

Although Mrs. Strife was positive that Sephiroth saw through her, he instead looked towards Jenova as if he was tired of her antics.

"Did Ba do it?" Cloud asked, clenching his little fists.

Mrs. Strife shook her head. She didn't want to get Cloud involved.

"Ba shouldn't be so mean." Cloud crunched his way towards Jenova. Mrs. Strife grabbed onto him only to be blocked by Sephiroth.

"I'll go tell her to stop being mean," Sephiroth said.

"No, I'll tell her," Cloud said, taking off. Sephiroth got in the way of Mrs. Strife's every attempt to bring Cloud back. Cloud ran faster until he finally stood in front of Jenova.

"I don't like you anymore," Cloud said. "You made mama cry."

Jenova didn't say a word to that. Instead, she laughed at him. However, it wasn't the same mocking, patronizing laugh that she had given Mrs. Strife – it was like the short laughs Mrs. Strife often had when Cloud happened to say something cute or funny. The laughing continued until Jenova erupted into a coughing fit. She hacked and vomited up some clear liquid.

"Go home already," Sephiroth said, exasperated.

Mrs. Strife rushed over to pick up her scared son and try to soothe him in her embrace.

"I think we should all go home," Mrs. Strife said.

The trek back up the mountain took much longer. Mrs. Strife was nearly frozen and exhausted by the time they arrived back at the house. All four of Jenova's sons crowded around her once more, and small bickering over why she didn't take care of herself instead of going out in the snow occurred along with Jenova's constant insisting that she was perfectly fine.

Staying out of it, Mrs. Strife prepared some hot soup, instructing Cloud to keep his furs on and stand by the oven. Cloud gladly put his hood down when he was allowed to, and she noticed that his nose was red, his ears were slightly pink, and that he was still sniffing to prevent his runny nose from overflowing.

"Did you have fun?" Mrs. Strife placed the bowl of soup on the table. Cloud picked up the spoon and took small sips of the broth, trying to warm himself up without burning himself at the same time.

"Yeah!" he said eagerly after the first spoonful. "Can we go again?"

"Maybe sometime," Mrs. Strife said, eating her own serving of soup.

Warmth easily settled into Cloud and Mrs. Strife, though Cloud complained that his hands were still cold. Sephiroth broke off from his squabbles with Jenova and knelt in front of Cloud, rubbing his own hands over Cloud's to warm them up much to Kadaj's displeasure.

As Mrs. Strife cradled a sleepy but content Cloud, she again realized how quickly time was slipping through her fingers.

She only had almost exactly nine months left.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年6月1日（土）

Finished: 2013年8月25日（日）

This chapter is dedicated to JollyBigSis. Without her, this would've taken even longer to finish. I'm eternally grateful and can't thank you enough, Jolly! Hmm... But I did flip my desk ten chapters ago. ┬──┬◡ﾉ(° -°ﾉ) That should make things easier now. There were a few tidbits I wanted to add that didn't make it in here. Ah well, they weren't important story-wise anyways. My one regret is not being able to get Chapter 26 out on the nineteenth. It would have been freaking hilarious in a very, very mean way.

That's right. Chapter 26 is Cloud's fourth birthday. Don't be afraid to ask any questions you might have.


	26. Chapter 26

Quick note: If you like to listen to music while reading, I recommend listening to [Judgement Day by Nobuo Uematsu](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGHDXDI-DNc) for this chapter.

* * *

19 August 1980

Today was finally here. Today, the day which she had been dreading from the very marrow of her bones.

The day which her son was to be taken away from her forever.

To Mrs. Strife, everything started to go downhill at the beginning of the month. Slowly, one by one, each of her possessions were disappearing from the room she had resided in for four years. At first, she was able to deny that the inevitable was coming, that everything was going to be all right, but she could no longer pretend otherwise.

Only the clothes on her back and Cloud's own possessions were left. There was nothing she could do anymore.

Swallowing, Mrs. Strife put on a smile, masking the dread, horror, and depression plaguing her mind, preventing it from breaking through for all to see. She served a bowl of oatmeal for her son, hiding her wince when she accidentally brushed against the table.

Jenova had been at it again. Mrs. Strife only had to worry about scare attempts, but it soon escalated to physical abuse. She quickly learned that no one would help her, so instead of crying out, she kept as silent as she possibly could, not wanting Cloud to ever find out what was going on. Thankfully, Cloud remained oblivious to it all, not knowing that his own mother was being attacked periodically. However, as the final day grew closer and closer, Jenova seemed to lose more and more interest in Mrs. Strife. The two day old bruise on her leg was still sensitive, but it wasn't as bad as previous marks she'd had.

Bringing herself back to the present, Mrs. Strife listened to the cheerful chatter Cloud excitedly made about his birthday.

She so desperately wanted to cry.

* * *

Today was finally here. Today, the day which all of the long years of waiting were to be rewarded.

The day she would finally have Cloud.

Gleefully, Jenova enjoyed the human's denial, its anxiety, its suffering, its _misery_. She no longer had to see it ever again, except in passing, and she no longer had to deal with a stranger in the house. Though Cloud was an outsider, he had been raised with them almost since the day he was born, and he was going to stay with them for the rest of his days. Now that Jenova thought about it, maybe it was better that things had deviated from the original plan.

Now was not the time to focus on past troubles. Now was the time to look forward to the near future, to the evening dinner and dessert...

* * *

Sephiroth was already out of bed by the time Cloud came to wake him up. He had spent most of the night awake, thinking about the next day, and his thoughts still plagued him this morning.

Cloud was leaving. It was his birthday, and he was leaving. He was leaving.

That was the one thing that stood out from everything else: he was leaving.

He was leaving. Today. As in, a few hours from now, possibly in the afternoon. That wasn't too early or too late, was it? No, it wasn't.

As Sephiroth climbed down the stairs with Cloud, he realized something.

He loved Cloud. Loved him like another brother. Never in Sephiroth's life did he think he would ever become close enough to an outsider to have a friend, much less have a relationship that was like kin.

Cloud was almost bouncing off the walls, eager for cake, which was only ever served on his birthdays. Saddened, Sephiroth found it hard to break it to him, but he had to. He had said to himself that he would do it.

"Hey," Sephiroth called. Cloud stopped bouncing excitedly on the couch and looked at Sephiroth while leaning forward on the cushions standing upwards.

"Come here." Sephiroth gestured with his hand.

Cloud smiled shyly and shook his head.

"Get over here."

Cloud slid off the couch and ran for the dining room, squeezing through the chairs. Sephiroth squatted in front of the spot Cloud was stuck in.

"Come here," Sephiroth said firmly.

"No," Cloud said playfully, shaking his head again.

"Please come out from under the table, Cloud," Mrs. Strife said, sounding like she was under a lot of stress.

Cloud pouted, but did as he was told, wiggling his small body through the confined space. Sephiroth pulled him by the legs to help him out.

Mrs. Strife was hovering closer to Cloud than usual, and more frequently, too. Sephiroth saved his wondering for later. It would be better and easier if he told Cloud what would happen if she wasn't around to overreact over it. But even as Cloud made his way back to the couch and asked Sephiroth to turn the TV on, Mrs. Strife was still hovering, keeping an eye on her son. Now that was where Sephiroth was confused, but he didn't question it for the time being.

The more time flew by, the less Sephiroth wanted to tell Cloud that he was going to leave, and soon he dismissed the idea altogether. Thinking about it wasn't going to make him do it, and once it was late enough for his brothers to come downstairs, he knew that he wasn't going to do it. He didn't want to ruin Cloud's happiness, nor did he want to somehow cause something that would ruin the peace that he painstakingly recreated with his brothers over the past few months.

Sephiroth helped prepare the night's dinner, wondering why his mother hadn't taken Cloud and Mrs. Strife back to Nibelheim. She had brought them up here, so she was going to take them back, too. He couldn't shake off the feeling that something strange was going to happen.

Jenova was acting far too giddy.

* * *

Cloud swung his legs while sitting in his chair, eagerly waiting to stuff his half-full stomach with cake. He didn't notice that nearly everybody was as excited as he was, especially Kadaj. He didn't notice Sephiroth's dread or Mrs. Strife's anxiety, either. What he did notice was that Jenova was bringing him a cake, one that looked extra extra big compared to what Cloud remembered of his past birthday. He didn't mind at all. He only got treats like this once a year, and he preferred real cakes to cupcakes.

"Happy fourth year, Cloud," Jenova said.

"Happy birthday, Cloud," Sephiroth said.

"Happy birthday," Yazoo murmured.

"Happy birthday," Loz said, eying the cake.

Kadaj said nothing.

"Happy birthday, Cloud," Mrs. Strife said with a fearful tone in her voice. Cloud wondered why his mother sounded strange and wanted to ask why, but the cake was cut and served.

Cloud stuffed his mouth with cake, savoring the chocolate flavor. He cut off a smaller piece of his slice with his fork and ate it, feeling frosting and small chunks of cake sticking to his lips. Cloud licked off the dessert as best as he could before his mother swooped in and wiped his mouth.

Not a single word was said. Not even when Jenova gathered all the dishes and put them in the sink. Everybody was still sitting at the table and not going off to watch TV. Cloud sat awkwardly, watching Jenova when she returned to her seat.

More silence. Then...

"Time is up, human," Jenova said, looking like she wanted to laugh.

Cloud felt his mother tense beside him, and he was squeezed tightly.

Something was wrong. He could feel it in the way his mother held him, could hear it in the way she spoke, could see it in the expressions of Sephiroth and his brothers.

"Just-just a little longer! Please!" Mrs. Strife cried.

Something was wrong, something was wrong. What was wrong? Why were they acting like this? What did Jenova and Mrs. Strife mean when they were talking about time? Cloud's confusion grew, and so did an urge.

"You had your time. Four years worth of it. Say your goodbyes."

Goodbye? What—

"I can't!"

Jenova rose and roughly yanked Mrs. Strife, forcefully separating her from Cloud. She dragged Mrs. Strife out the door. Cloud and Sephiroth sped towards them.

"Stay," Jenova said to Cloud. To Sephiroth, she said, "Keep him here."

"Why?" Sephiroth asked coldly.

Jenova didn't reply, instead giving Sephiroth a knowing look, to which Sephiroth reacted to with pure shock.

Out the door Jenova went, dragging Mrs. Strife with her. Cloud ran and fought to get out of Sephiroth's grip, pleading for Sephiroth to let him go.

"Mama!" Cloud screamed. "MAMA!"

* * *

Mrs. Strife thrashed and struggled to break Jenova's hold. She heard a loud noise, and she didn't realize that she had been struck until a hand tightened around her neck, slowly cutting off more and more of her air. She felt a rush, and then she saw that they were now near the slope.

Not paying much mind to the unnatural speed it took to get them there, Mrs. Strife resorted to negotiation.

"Please," Mrs. Strife begged uselessly, her request falling on deaf ears. "Please," she repeated through her tears.

"You only have yourself to blame. In the end, you were the one that had agreed."

Mrs. Strife could not deny that. She felt like a monster.

"Why?" she asked weakly, feeling faint from lack of air. "Why do you want him?"

"That," she heard, "is a reason you shall not know."

Her neck was released, but before Mrs. Strife was able to react, she was turned around and kicked hard on her lower back. She fell head-first on the slope, the rocks scraping against her skin as she rolled all the way down.

* * *

Sephiroth tried to take a minute to take in what had just happened. He was still in shock over the fact that Cloud's mother would do such a thing. To give up her one and only son... But a part of him was secretly glad that Cloud was indeed staying, and he felt terrible for it. Even thinking about it as he held the sobbing boy made him feel horrible.

But there was nothing he could do. If anybody were to blame, it would have to be Mrs. Strife. While Jenova only told him that Cloud had to stay here because of the Deal Mrs. Strife made, he was positive that his mother had informed the woman of the consequences beforehand.

Yazoo looked down at Cloud, disturbed. Loz was utterly confused. Kadaj hadn't moved from the table, and he looked like he expected to wake up from a dream very soon.

"Mama..." Cloud sniffled, exhausted. Sephiroth shifted him so that Cloud was resting his head on Sephiroth's shoulder. He silently soothed the boy, sending him comforting waves through their link to dispel the hurt, confusion, and anger emanating from him.

It wasn't long before Jenova returned. Immediately, Sephiroth asked, "Why? What did you want Cloud for?"

"He is for you," came the answer. "He is your doll."

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年8月27日（火）

Finished: 2013年9月2日（月）

Apologies for the delay! I had run into some technical problems right before I started on this.

To state the obvious, this is where the title comes in!

Before anybody freaks out (I'm pretty sure that at least one person might), hear me out. If Sephiroth loved Cloud romantically at this point, it would be CREEPY. But just because Sephiroth sees Cloud as a brother right now doesn't mean that he'll feel that way about him forever. Things change over time-feelings, thoughts, etc. Plus, the lowest I'll go in fanfiction is fourteen.

Next chapter: Explain, Jenova! [EXPLAAAAAIIIINNNN!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OD0v9kvlMOA)


	27. Chapter 27

"So he's an inanimate object now?" Sephiroth asked incredulously. He covered Cloud's ear, knowing that the boy wasn't asleep.

"Only if you want him to be," Jenova replied. "He is your gift – you decide what he is. 'Doll' is only a term I had given to him once he came into being."

Kadaj burst into hysterical laughter. "That's one of the best pranks I've ever seen from you, Mother." Awkwardly, his mirth transistioned into silence. "It's a joke, right? He isn't staying here, is he?"

Jenova simply nodded. Kadaj slumped in his seat, seemingly accepting Cloud's permanent stay.

...Less than two seconds later, he jumped up and started loudly making death threats aimed at Cloud. Jenova herself had to restrain him, and that set Cloud off into another crying fit.

"I want mama!" he yelled at Jenova, red-faced. "Give her back!" He sniffed, then huffed involuntarily. "Give ba-a-ah-ack muh-mama." Cloud buried his face back into Sephiroth's shoulder, further soiling it while sobbing again.

Sephiroth slowly backed away up the stairs to lay Cloud down onto his bed.

"No! No, no, noooo!" Cloud screamed, clawing at Sephiroth when he tried to pry him off. The boy clung desperately to the man, refusing to be let go. Sephiroth compromised and lay down next to Cloud, who instantly held onto Sephiroth with all his strength.

 _The human was not going to survive that winter. I used too much time and energy to make Cloud, and I was not going to lose him_ , Jenova explained generously. Sephiroth vaguely sensed that his brothers were in on the conversation as well. _Whether or not the human made that Deal, I was going to take him. The human easily agreed – it didn't want Cloud to perish, either, even if it meant never seeing him again. However, I was merciful and promised to allow him to visit it._

 _How often?_ Sephiroth asked.

_Once every six months._

_Weekly._

_Two months._

_Every four days._

_Throw him back and never bring him again!_ Kadaj interjected, still fuming strongly.

 _Twice a month. No less_ , Jenova offered.

 _Fine_ , Sephiroth agreed. _Continue._

Being nice enough to not cause any trouble, Jenova did. Surprisingly. _I've been meaning to grant you a gift like this for quite a while. The wait was worth it. I made him for you, and Cloud is whatever you want him to be: companion, helper, servant – anything._

 _Why does_ he _get a present like that first?_ Loz questioned.

 _You do know that this can backfire on us, right? Cloud isn't mindless and is fully capable of making his own choices, you know_ , Sephiroth asked next, pushing Loz's inquiry to the side. He rubbed Cloud's back, physically hearing his sniffles begin to quiet.

 _Would you really want to have a mindless object that does absolutely nothing until you command it to do so? I am aware that he can resist and fight back any time he wants to. However, I have made a thing or two that can prevent that. As for you, Loz, Sephiroth has this gift first because he is responsible enough. Despite all of my attempts, there is a chance that this_ can _go wrong. It's better to be safe than sorry._

Sephiroth nearly snorted. The old totem pole was being put to use again. Though he didn't like the implication that he was a test subject, however temporary the role would last.

 _Tell me, then_ , he said.

* * *

Her face burned. So did her arms, legs, stomach area, and back. Mrs. Strife shakily got back on her feet, cuts and scrapes littering her hands and parts of her arms and legs. After she touched her stinging face, Mrs. Strife deduced that that part of her body took most of the damage.

Ignoring the small bits of blood and the part of her mind telling her to go back home until she physically recovered from the incident, Mrs. Strife found the trail back up Mt. Nibel after several failed attempts to scale the slope.

 _Don't_ , a voice in her head said. _You can't go up there anymore._

Mrs. Strife ignored the warning and stubbornly resumed her weak climb. She knew perfectly well that she couldn't have Cloud anymore, but everything in her was screaming at her to go up the mountain, to get her son back.

 _It's not safe_ , the voice in her head insisted.

Mrs. Strife didn't care whether anything happened to her or not. She wanted her baby boy back. She couldn't have him back, but that didn't stop her from trying.

She suddenly felt faint, and her vision went black. The sight of the interior of her home later greeted her. She nearly didn't recognize her surroundings; she had been away from home for so long...

Too long. Cloud was coming back, even if it killed her.

Three more failed attempts at trying to go back up the mountain later, Mrs. Strife was forced to give up. She sat by her bed, sobbing and mourning the loss of her son.

* * *

Sephiroth mulled over the information he had been given, not entirely sure on what to make of it. For the most part, he was disgusted. Mrs. Strife had given up her son out of desperation so Cloud could live, all so he could be reduced to...an object.

But he couldn't help that strange satisfaction at that, either. Cloud was...his. Literally. Sephiroth still couldn't believe it, couldn't get used to the idea. He could change Cloud completely if he wanted to; he could mold and affect him in many ways.

He wiped the still wet tears off of the boy's face, still feeling Cloud's sadness creeping into his own mind.

That was part of how Cloud was 'designed' as well. The reason that only Sephiroth was able to mentally communicate with Cloud and feel his emotions was because of their... Bond? That was the only thing Sephiroth could really call it. Their mental bond made it much simpler for Sephiroth to know how Cloud was feeling, if he was sick, or if he was hurt. Being able to literally see through Cloud's eyes was no coincidence, either.

Cloud was absolutely nothing without Sephiroth. That much was made true. However, when Sephiroth told his mother of his own feelings towards Cloud, she was surprised.

 _That has nothing to do with me_ , she had said. She then explained why it had been important for him and Cloud to have been together in the beginning.

Jenova had wanted Cloud and Sephiroth to at least be on good terms with each other. Brotherly feelings were beyond what she had wanted, but she wouldn't complain – if anything, that made things better.

At first, Sephiroth didn't feel too well over the set-up. But his own feelings rang true and so did Cloud's; Sephiroth wasn't sure how, but somehow he knew it. He then wondered what else about Cloud was 'made' beforehand – if his mother had anything to do with Cloud's physical features, mentality, traits, or gender.

 _Those were determined naturally by his parents. Unless you'd prefer a female with a different appearance?_ Sephiroth had instantly denied that offer. Too much had happened to Cloud already, and Sephiroth didn't want him to be changed, anyways.

Stopping his thoughts for a moment, Sephiroth delved into Cloud's mind, sifting through the boy's sentiments. The most prominent emotions were grief and anger, and Sephiroth did his best to mentally soothe him, succeeding a little. Not much, since the trauma was too great for him and had happened very recently, but a little. Soon, Sephiroth lost himself into Cloud's mind, digging through his memories, watching how he perceived certain things, amusing himself with Cloud's small likes and dislikes (Sephiroth couldn't help but chuckle a bit at Cloud's strong dislike for having his cheeks pinched or pulled), and then he remembered that one thing Jenova mentioned that could be used to keep Cloud in line.

Tentatively, Sephiroth pushed himself deep into Cloud's mind, prodding at certain parts of his mind.

Cloud's eyes snapped open and he sat up. Surprised, Sephiroth stilled before prodding at Cloud's mind again. Robot-like, Cloud slid off the bed and walked towards the door, stopping there.

 _Turn around_ , Sephiroth said, suddenly aware then of what he was doing.

Cloud obeyed. There was absolutely no way he could do anything else. What Sephiroth saw next nearly made him gasp.

The boy's pupils were dilated, his blue irises nearly completely covered up by the black. The worst part was, however, his expression.

Empty. There was nothing Sephiroth could see in those blank eyes; definitely nothing that was the Cloud he had come to know. Cloud's eyes continued to stare blankly ahead of him, unblinking. The shell of a boy that Sephiroth saw nearly made him sick. He pulled out of Cloud's mind, relieved when the emptiness left and was replaced by confusion.

Sephiroth silently beckoned for Cloud to come back to bed, standing up to turn off the light. He moved faster when Cloud worriedly protested against Sephiroth's leaving. As he lay back down and pulled the blanket over them, he made a decision.

He was not going to treat or see Cloud any differently. And he was never ever going to force him like that.

Ever.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年9月9日（月）

Finished: 2013年9月12日（木）

Twenty reviews for a single chapter. Hooooolllllllllyyyy SHIT. ಥ_ಥ That is the most feedback I've ever gotten just for one chapter. Thanks a lot, guys, I really appreciate it. And I've gotta thank everyone for sticking with me, especially the ones that have been following this from the start. But this story is far from over. There is another date to look forward to in here, but I'm keeping that to myself. Sorry. :3 I tried to explain as much as I could in this chapter, but if there's still confusion or anything that's unclear, don't be afraid to let me know.

Again, thanks for being patient and bearing with me. Especially you, Radius. Without you, this would've been discontinued a long time ago.


	28. Chapter 28

20 August 1980

Cloud slept fitfully next to him, and Sephiroth could tell that his dreams weren't very pleasant. The child snuggled into his side again, gripping tightly. Sephiroth ran a hand against Cloud's back, rubbing in small circles in another attempt to soothe him. He couldn't get over what had happened only a few hours before, and apparently neither could Cloud. The boy had a fit in his sleep every time Sephiroth made even the slightest move.

Cloud exhaled, making Sephiroth almost mistake the breathy sound for a sigh. The silver-haired man continued to lay there, not planning to go to sleep any time soon.

Footsteps sounded, stopping at his door. Sephiroth heard a click and then a small creak, spotting Yazoo entering his room. His brother sat on the edge of the bed, alternating between looking at Cloud and Sephiroth.

"Morality-wise, I suppose you could say that it was the right thing for the woman to do," Yazoo said lowly.

Sephiroth didn't reply. He merely stared off into space, unblinking.

"...this is going to sound cruel of me, but you should be grateful. Mother took a lot of time into him, and you wanted him to stay anyways."

He did want Cloud to stay. And he was glad that Cloud could stay. However, Sephiroth never would have scarred the boy like this. Mrs. Strife was the only family Cloud had, and Sephiroth understood how it was. He himself had only his mother to rely on for a very long time up until his brothers were born. But despite the circumstances Mrs. Strife was in, he was still half-disgusted that she made The Deal. His own mother would never have given any of them up no matter what.

Yet he couldn't blame Mrs. Strife. If she had tried to survive out in the wild, she would have died and so would have Cloud. In some way, he had to be glad that she did end up making The Deal. If she hadn't, then Sephiroth would never have met Cloud.

"There's that, too," Yazoo said, having read through some of Sephiroth's thoughts. "Don't think that we haven't noticed how you've been acting around the kid."

"Are you going to let jealousy overcome you and do what you can to get rid of him?" Sephiroth snapped. He did not need another Kadaj antagonizing him.

His brother snorted. "I'm taking that as an insult. I don't care whether you like the kid or not. I just think it's strange that you've actually made a real friend. It's not something you would normally do."

"Spare me the false concern you have," Sephiroth muttered.

"I have no reason to be jealous nor do I have any reason to hate the kid," Yazoo insisted. "I do, however, have a reason to make sure a brother of mine isn't blaming himself or feeling guilty for something that he took no part in."

"I did take some part in this."

"You know what I mean."

"That's not the only reason you're here, is it?"

"Here, exactly? It is. I was only going to the bathroom and noticed that you were awake."

Sephiroth rolled his eyes. "Don't sleep in the tub again."

"Hm." Yazoo stood up and proceeded to do the opposite of what Sephiroth just said.

"I can guarantee that the floor is more comfortable."

"How would you know?" Yazoo asked softly. He shut the bathroom door behind him.

Sephiroth tried to get out of bed to go after his brother, but Cloud stopped him. The boy refused to let go, even in his sleep, and Sephiroth was torn. He decided that it would be better right then if he stayed with Cloud. Yazoo only needed a place to sleep other than the room he shared with Kadaj and Loz, and if he decided to go along with the wild idea that he should sleep in a bathtub, then that was his thing.

* * *

Loz kept out of the way as Kadaj continued to pace angrily. His little brother had been doing this right after Mother had finally told, and if he kept it up until morning, there would definitely be a wear in the floor.

Loz moved his head back and forth as Kadaj paced back and forth. Back, and then forth. Back, and then forth.

Back.

"Quit looking at me like that."

Forth.

"Like what?" Loz questioned cheekily.

Back.

"Like a dumb-ass, dumb-ass."

Forth.

"Stop walking like that."

"Like what?" Kadaj mocked. "Like this?" He kicked Loz in the shin.

The hit did not leave a mark nor did Loz really feel it.

"No, like this." Loz kicked Kadaj's ass hard enough to knock him forward until he hit the wall.

"You..." Kadaj said venomously. Loz prepared himself for retaliation, but it never came. Instead, Kadaj resumed pacing.

The pacing was driving Loz insane. He couldn't stand repetition at all. He stuck out a leg for Kadaj to trip over, but his brother stepped over it.

"Are you still being a big, whiny baby?"

"Whiny baby? Me?" Kadaj asked incredulously. "You saw that kid. 'Wahh, wah, my mother's gone!'"

"Whiner. 'Throw him back and never bring him again!'" Loz imitated, making sure to sound as whiny and girly as possible.

"Shut the hell up," Kadaj said through clenched teeth. "You're the idiot that plays with kids' toys."

"You're the idiot that gets jealous over a little kid."

"G- J- F- WHAT?! Are you _stupid_ or something? It's taking our brother away and you're just going to let it?! And you're totally fine with the little piece of crap staying here?!"

Loz frowned. "No, I didn't want him to stay here."

Kadaj calmed down a little. "Good. At least you have some sense in you."

"It's not fair!" Loz exclaimed. "Why does Sephiroth get a doll and I don't?"

Kadaj froze, then smacked himself on the head. "Are you serious?"

"It's not fair," Loz repeated. "He gets the best present ever and we get nothing." If only he had a little servant of his own... Then he wouldn't have to do a lot of things by himself anymore. He'd have someone to create and act out war and destruction scenarios with. He wouldn't need his brothers anymore; they never really wanted to play with little soldiers anyways. No wonder Sephiroth didn't spend as much time with them anymore.

"Doll, huh?" Kadaj said thoughtfully. He burst into laughter. "Doll, haha! Haha! He's a little plaything!"

That just made Loz feel worse. He wanted a plaything, too.

"I'm going to sleep," Loz grumbled, climbing into his bunk. He threw a boot at Kadaj's head when his brother wouldn't quiet down.

* * *

3 September 1980

He had more freedom now. He could do whatever he wanted without anybody to stop him or to tell him that it wasn't safe or that he had to go to bed early or anything else. It was what he'd always wanted.

But now, more than ever, all Cloud wanted was his mama. It just wasn't the same without her, and he'd rather have all of the restrictions put on him just so he could be with her again. At the very least, he had Sephiroth, and he never let the man out of his sight for a single fraction of a second. Any time Cloud suspected that Sephiroth was gone, he panicked and searched everywhere for him, crying. Sephiroth quickly learned that it was better for Cloud if he was within the child's sight.

"We're going out today," Sephiroth said. He put on Cloud's right shoe, hastily tying the laces.

"Where?" He didn't feel like going outside all that much. He still wasn't feeling very well from his worst birthday ever.

"To see your mother."

Cloud jumped to attention and looked up at Sephiroth, wanting desperately to believe him. He could tell that he wasn't lying. "Can we bring her back?"

Sephiroth looked at him sadly and shook his head. "I'm sorry."

"Why not?" He was lifted and placed on Sephiroth's shoulders. His whole body relaxed of its own accord and he slumped forward. He felt Sephiroth tense at that, but Cloud paid it no mind. "Why can't she come back?"

Sephiroth didn't answer and refused to answer as he trailed down the mountain, taking the shortcut. Cloud's excitement grew, and he held his breath as they approached a town and stopped at a house. Sephiroth knocked a few times and waited.

Soon, the door opened and an exhausted-looking woman appeared.

"Cloud?!"

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年9月30日（月）

Finished: 2013年10月2日（水）

Apologies for a short chapter in such a long time, but I needed to get this out or there would have been an even longer wait. This weekend, on the fifth and sixth, I'll be going to a con. Awesome part is, my Halloween costume comes in tomorrow, so I can wear it there! (If anybody asks why I'm wearing a stupid bunny suit, I'll be asking you why you're wearing that stupid man suit.) Quick warning: updates for anything might be slow this month because of real life and Halloween, but I'll do what I can.

Sleeping on the couch? Pfft, that's overrated!

Also, if anybody here uses Facebook, a friend and I made a [Page](https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Puppet-Master-and-His-Puppet/425599170883562) dedicated to Sephiroth/Cloud.


	29. Chapter 29

"Cloud," Mrs. Strife said, bursting into tears. She snatched Cloud into her embrace and brought him inside, almost forgetting about Sephiroth. She waved a hand to invite him in.

Sephiroth came in and closed the door behind him. He didn't say anything, allowing Cloud and his mother to have their moment.

Cloud buried his face into his mother's chest, breaking out into sobs. Mrs. Strife was more silent, but tears continuously ran down her cheeks and she took shaky breaths.

"My boy," Mrs. Strife said, running her hand through Cloud's downy hair. "My beautiful baby boy. Did they hurt you?"

"No." Cloud shook his head. "Mama..."

"Shh," Mrs. Strife soothed. "I'm here. I'm right here."

"Come back, mama," Cloud pleaded. "Come back with us."

"I-I'm so sorry." Mrs. Strife pulled Cloud even closer. "I want to, but I can't."

"Why not?" Cloud's sobs grew in volume. "Please come back, mama! Please!"

Mrs. Strife pulled away from Cloud to look him in the eyes. "I'm sorry, Cloud, but I had to do this. When you were only a little baby, I took you to the mountain because that year, the winter was bad and there was no food. I took you there to keep you safe, and I'm not allowed to bring you back home here with me. Please understand, Cloud." Mrs. Strife sniffed. "I never wanted to leave you, never ever."

Cloud didn't understand. He didn't care if there was no food that winter. He wanted his mother to come back, and he was getting angry the more he listened to her apologize and say that she couldn't.

"You can come back! You just don't want to!" Cloud accused. He yanked himself away from his mother and scurried back to Sephiroth's side.

"Cloud, no- I-," Mrs. Strife stammered. " _Never_. I would never even _dream_ of leaving you!" She was hurt by Cloud's claim almost as much as she had been hurt by the separation.

"If you're looking for somebody to blame, Cloud, that would be my own mother," Sephiroth murmured quietly, a hint of guilt crossing his features. He blinked. "She had told your mother that if you came to live with us, she would help her with food and keep you safe."

"But I want mama back!" Cloud wailed. "I don't want her to go!"

Sephiroth lowered himself to Cloud's level and shook his head. "She can't come back. But we can visit her every once in a while."

Cloud and Mrs. Strife brightened up a little at that. However, Cloud would much rather have his mother with him, back where she should be.

Before the boy could say anything, Mrs. Strife asked, "How often?"

"Twice a month was the most often I could negotiate,"Sephiroth said regretfully.

"Oh, dear," Mrs. Strife said, "it's not your fault." She gave him a grateful look. "You tried, and that's what I'm thankful for." She approached Sephiroth, arms outstretched for a small, quick hug.

The silver-haired man tensed, unused to contact from anybody other than his family and Cloud. He didn't hug back and awkwardly waited until Mrs. Strife stopped.

"I'm sorry," Mrs. Strife said, having felt Sephiroth's stiffness.

Sephiroth brushed off the apology. He looked around at Mrs. Strife's home for the first time, taking in the tiny space and lack of walls. He supposed that there wasn't that much of a need for privacy when only she and her partner had lived together, but it still stuck him as strange. It was like she lived in one single room.

Mrs. Strife offered some dinner, which Sephiroth accepted. Jenova hadn't said anything about how long he could take Cloud out to see his mother which Sephiroth took advantage of. For the boy's sake, he'd take all the time out of the day so Cloud could be happy.

The rest of the visitation went by peacefully with Cloud slowly letting go of his previous anger and simply enjoying the limited time he had with his mother, not taking the moments for granted like he had before. He explored his 'real' home, and Mrs. Strife was all too eager to give him a tour.

Eventually, Sephiroth could procrastinate no longer. He lifted Cloud with one arm, telling him to say his goodbyes and promising that he would bring the boy back in another two weeks.

Cloud didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay with his mother, or, better yet, bring her back with them. He knew that Sephiroth would keep his promises like he always did, but...

"We can come back in another two weeks. That's fourteen days. Do you think you can wait that long?"

Cloud shook his head at Sephiroth's question.

"It won't be too long," Sephiroth said. "We'll be back before you know it."

Mrs. Strife wrung her hands worriedly. "I'll...I'll see you soon, Cloud." She didn't want her boy to leave. It took every ounce of her strength to listen to that voice in her head telling her that something horrible would happen if she tried to keep him.

Reluctantly, Cloud said, "Bye, mama... See you soon." He didn't bother to keep from crying.

Quickly, Mrs. Strife put a hand on Sephiroth's retreating shoulder.

"You'll take care of him for me, won't you?" she said with watery eyes.

Sephiroth gave a short incline of the head. "I won't let anything happen to him."

Unwillingly and with trepidation, Mrs. Strife let Sephiroth go through the open door, clutching at her breast when seeing Cloud's teary eyes looking back at her over Sephiroth's shoulder.

* * *

"We'll see mama again, right?" Cloud asked for the umpteenth time as Sephiroth walked through the pitch black darkness to get home.

"We will," Sephiroth promised. "And if you wake up and get ready early enough, we can be there longer."

Cloud relaxed more, leaning forward onto Sephiroth's head and letting the rocking of the man's shoulders hypnotize him. He began to shiver the higher up the mountain they scaled, and he couldn't keep still once they were at the door.

Sephiroth had noticed Cloud's shivering right when it first started, and he tried to go as quickly as he could without triggering Cloud's motion sickness, but he could tell that it wasn't fast enough. Cloud's lips were blue and he was unnaturally pale.

Acting fast, Sephiroth carried Cloud up to his room, taking the boy's clothes off and wrapping a blanket around him. Cloud followed him as he went into the bathroom to run the hot water.

Sephiroth removed the blanket and put Cloud into the tub when he was satisfied with the temperature, lightly splashing water over him. He gave Cloud a cup to scoop water with and left, leaving the door open a crack.

"Where you going?" Cloud asked nervously. He slowly got up and lifted a leg over the tub to get out. He instinctively slumped when Sephiroth brought him back to bathtub, shivering when the warm water coated his cold body again.

"I'm not going anywhere," Sephiroth reassured. He left the bathroom again, this time leaving the door open wider so Cloud could see him sitting on the floor with his back to the doorway, scribbling on a piece of paper.

"What about soap?" He couldn't take a real bath without soap.

"Don't worry about soap. Just wet yourself some more until you're warm again."

Cloud poured some water on his head, enjoying the feeling of chasing the cold away. Occasionally, he bent over to check if Sephiroth was where he was supposed to be.

The silver-haired man never moved from his spot, still scribbling on the paper. Cloud changed position so the water came up to this ears, and he blew bubbles, giggling. He kept playing around in the water, temporarily forgetting about Sephiroth. He looked up when he heard a creak, surprised to see Sephiroth standing over him with a towel.

Sheepishly, Cloud climbed out and let Sephiroth dry him up, putting his clothes on by himself when Sephiroth handed them to him. Sephiroth allowed him to pull the plug in the tub to drain the bath water.

"What's that?" Cloud padded to the spot Sephiroth had been sitting in and picked up the piece of paper. Odd marks were on it, and they looked nothing like the letters Cloud had learned to read and write.

"Nothing much, really," Sephiroth replied. He pulled back the blanket and motioned for Cloud to get under the covers.

"But what is it?" Cloud asked, almost whining.

"Time for you to go to bed, that's what it is."

Cloud pouted but made his way to the bed and climbed on. He lay down on the pillows, drifting off to sleep almost instantly. He didn't notice before how tired he had been. Yawning, his last thoughts before sleep took him were of what he'd do the next time he saw his mother.

* * *

Jenova was pleased. The human had understood the not-so-subtle hints and threats she had given it and had not tried to interfere.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年10月12日（土）

Finished: 2013年10月14日（月）

Gawd... Another short one. I'm sorry, but I didn't really know what else to put in after the visit. Motivation for this fic is a little hard to find because of all the brain farts. TT_TT Ugh, I hope this blows over real soon. I'll be busy fixing up some stuff on LJ where I've re-uploaded everything for a bit, and I'm hoping that will clear things up a little.

FFNet seems to be going through another purge... I suggest downloading your favorite fics and backing up your own onto another site like Archive of Our Own.


	30. Chapter 30

14 June 1982

The late afternoon landscape rolled by slowly as Sephiroth descended the mountain with Cloud behind him. The five year old boy held a long object wrapped in leather over his head, occasionally having to right himself to prevent himself from losing his balance and falling onto the rocks. No matter how many times Sephiroth offered to take back the wrapped possession, Cloud stubbornly insisted that he could do it himself. Not once did the boy complain that his arms were tired or make any indication that he had given up.

Cloud had been long used to the cold, hardly feeling a thing up in the mountains during the summer. Every night that Sephiroth went out, Cloud tagged along with him, and the man never seemed to mind. However, Sephiroth would never allow Cloud to go into town other than when they were to visit Mrs. Strife. At first, it didn't matter much to Cloud, but curiosity was drawing him in...

The boy's scuffed boots tromped through grass, and he stopped at a clearing with the silver-haired man. Handing the wrapped item over, Cloud stepped back, watching Sephiroth unravel the leather and reveal a long blade.

"You'll teach me how to use a sword, too, right?" Cloud asked hopefully, wistful eyes gazing upon the katana. He always asked that question when Sephiroth practiced with the sword, and Sephiroth always gave him the same reply.

"You'll need to learn how to hit first. Then we can move on to swords."

Cloud combed through the grass, looking for the stick he hid the other night. Yanking it from its not-exactly-hiding place, he held onto it with both hands and mimicked Sephiroth's movements. He made a slow sweep, pretending to knock someone off their feet; he swung upwards hard enough to bounce; he thrust his makeshift sword into an unseen enemy, overshooting it and falling forward. Standing up and dusting off the knees of his pants, he pouted when Sephiroth laughed at him. It was low, nearly inaudible to Cloud's ears, but it wasn't meant to be mocking or unkind.

Sephiroth continued his routine, and Cloud continued to copy him. The boy's imitations were stiff and uncoordinated, lacking the same finesse Sephiroth displayed in the handling of his own weapon. Cloud had begun to get better over time, but his unskilled maneuvers still frustrated and disappointed him. The repetitive motions began to dissolve into his mind, however, and soon he ran on autopilot, not really paying attention to what he was doing but still aware of the fact that he wasn't moving exactly like Sephiroth all the same.

Sweat began to break in an almost invisible sheen on Cloud's back and forehead. Still he continued on, even as his arms began to burn, even as Sephiroth's techniques became more complicated and near impossible for Cloud to pull off without doing something entirely different instead. He panted, falling onto his butt. Sephiroth kept on without him.

Cloud wiped the sweat off his brow, fatigue settling into his arms. He watched Sephiroth, taking in how the man easily slashed at a nonexistent foe, how he gracefully spun on his heels and did a series of moves that Cloud couldn't follow with his eyes. Cloud almost protested when the performance was finally over and Sephiroth re-wrapped his sword.

Gingerly placing the blade down on the grass, Sephiroth pulled Cloud to his feet, putting his hands over the boy's and manipulating him so that the stick sword pointed straight forward. Sephiroth concentrated in keeping steady, though it was slightly difficult due to the fact that he had to bend over to reach Cloud's height. He guided the boy's arms to move the stick to one side, continuing the slow movements over and over in a single pattern. He let go, instructing Cloud to do it on his own.

The boy copied the pattern perfectly, his arms trembling a little from his fatigue. He kept on, stopping only when he could no longer do it anymore.

By then, the sun almost finished setting and it was time to go home. Sephiroth handed Cloud the Masamune, faking shock when the younger one refused to carry it back.

"I'm tired," Cloud groaned.

"No, you're just lazy."

"I'm _tired_. _You_ hold it," Cloud almost snapped.

"I don't feel like holding it," Sephiroth teased.

Cloud stuck his tongue out at Sephiroth and set off in the direction of Mt. Nibel, passing through the town and walking past the walls of the abandoned mansion. He stopped, seeing something resembling a wolf sniffing a patch of grass.

A dog. It was an actual dog. The animal was smaller than even a Nibel wolf, but its dark grey fur nearly made it easy to mistake it for one. The dog was more furry than a wolf; so furry that its eyes were almost completely covered by its pelt. Cloud approached the dog, not paying attention to the calling in the distance until the dog's pointed ears stood at attention.

The dog ran past Cloud, almost knocking him over. The boy scrambled to his feet and took chase.

 _You can't keep the dog. It belongs to someone_ , Sephiroth said.

"C'mere, dog, I'm gonna dognap you!" Cloud yelled at the retreating animal. He ran into the town, spying the dog weaving through the bottom of the well.

"Grandpaaaa!" someone called. The dog ran to the biggest house in the town, sitting in front of a child.

"Grandpa!" she said happily. "There you are!"

Shyly, Cloud approaced her. "Your grandpa's a dog?" he asked with disbelief.

The girl put her hands on her hips. "Nuh-uh! He looks like a grandpa dog so I call him grandpa. Who are you, mister?"

"My name is—"

 _Cloud_ , Sephiroth called insistently.

"Yeah, that!" Cloud said.

"Yeah, what?" the girl asked, confused.

"I'm Cloud," he said, embarrassed that he'd forgotten that only he could hear Sephiroth's voice in his head.

"Oh. I'm Tifa."

"Tee-fuh?" That was the weirdest name Cloud had ever come across.

 _Cloud_. Sephiroth's voice was commanding now. Backing away, Cloud said goodbye before turning and running to Sephiroth's side without looking back.

Sephiroth didn't say a thing to him, just continued the journey home. Cloud stayed quiet, thinking for a moment.

"Do you know Tifa?" Cloud asked.

"She's a girl. Do you know what girls are?"

"What?"

"They're wild animals that will attack you when you least expect it. Whenever you're asleep, they turn into monsters that look like frogs and slobber all over you. They take your things, even destroy them. It's best to avoid girls as much as possible."

"Really?" Cloud didn't really believe the frog monster and slobber parts, but if girls were mean like that...

"They also have germs that will make you very, very sick."

That was it. Cloud was going to stay away as much as possible. But here was one thing off about that.

"What about Ba? Isn't she a grown up girl?"

Sephiroth snorted, sounding like he was trying to hold in a laugh. "No. Far from it. She's...a special case."

No more things were asked. When the house showed up, Cloud eagerly ran inside, passing Sephiroth's brothers who were in the living room and waited for Sephiroth to start the bath water. He gave himself a bath, dried himself off (for the most part), and put on his sleeping shorts and shirt. Tiredly, he went back down to see what everyone else was doing, minding Kadaj's prescence. Most of the time, Kadaj avoided Cloud like the plague, but there were times where he would antagonize Cloud and/or Sephiroth in some way.

This time was not one of them. Cloud was ignored, and he was grateful for it. He took a glance at the TV which was flipping through different channels because of Loz. He took in several almost split-second long scenes of commercials, scary movies he wanted to watch but didn't find the opportunity to, talk shows, and other programs.

"Flip it back," Sephiroth said quickly. Loz did, stopping on a news channel.

_"...with tensions rising between Wutai and Shinra overseas. It is highly probable that an impending war may break out..."_

Muttering broke out between the four brothers, but Cloud didn't pay attention, his attention focused on what came on TV next.

_"This provides a chance for the elite forces of Shinra known as SOLDIER to prove their skills."_

The name sounded interesting to Cloud, and the quick clip of men in uniform brandishing their swords fascinated him. They didn't seem to be as amazing as Sephiroth, but even so, he couldn't help but want to be like one of them.

"You'd think that Nibel was enough," Kadaj spat.

Loz turned the TV off. "They're going to take over the Planet, aren't they?"

"Seems so. They have a more advanced army now," Yazoo observed. "Didn't it used to simply be dragon food with guns?"

Sephiroth nodded. "So now they're trying to take that place. How long will it be until everything is sucked dry?"

"Who's they?"

All heads turned to look at Cloud. He looked back at them, wanting an answer.

"Nothing you should worry about," Sephiroth said simply.

"But—!"

"Shut up and get out of here, runt," Kadaj muttered loud enough for the boy to hear. He didn't retaliate when Sephiroth smacked him on top of the head with his fist.

"But what is it?" Cloud whined.

"Don't worry about it," Sephiroth said.

Cloud grumbled. He hated when he was left in the dark.

* * *

_They're spreading._

_It's not the first time they have done so._

_It's the first time they're entering war for it._

_You seem so sure that war is what will come out of it._

_Apparently, there is some resistance._

_And what of it?_

_Don't you think there's a chance that the Shinra could struggle in their conquest?_

_It depends._

_If or when it happens, I can—_

_No._

_Better me than the others._

_No. You shouldn't._

_I should._

I _should. Not you._

_It's my decision. I'm going to do it._

_..._

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年10月21日（月）

Finished: 2013年10月23日（水）

Whew! Finally figured out how to start this one. Never go too long without updating a certain story; brain farts like to attack then.

 _"Shinra dog! I'm gonna dognap you!"_ \- actual quote from Cloud in FF7.

No, 1982 is not the next big date. It's still coming.

I know I said a long time ago that I was gonna do the prequel to _Doll_ , but that was before the other fics existed. ^^; I might even have to delay the side story until at least two of the other fics are completed. I try not to go too long between updates for any of the fics (except for the ones that are on hiatus for the time being).


	31. Chapter 31

Cloud ran through the grass, swinging his stick around. Yelling excitedly, he chased after Sephiroth, who was walking as slow as ever. He tried to hit him, taking care not to swing too hard and accidentally hurt him, but it didn't matter in the end as Sephiroth caught the blow with his hand and pulled the stick away from Cloud. The boy hung on, his feet kicking the air as he tried to swing his weight around and force Sephiroth to let him go.

His palms began to sweat and he started to slip. Stubbornly, Cloud tried to scramble back up, but Sephiroth took advantage of his struggle and yanked the stick away, leaving a pouting boy looking up at him from where he had fallen in the grass.

"Don't make so much noise," Sephiroth lectured. "It lets the enemy know you're coming. You need to be quiet and sneak up on them that way you catch them by surprise."

Cloud took in the information, wishing that he'd thought of that earlier. He stood up, dusted off the butt of his pants, and leaped at Sephiroth to take his stick back.

"There's no point in trying to do a sneak attack when I know what you're doing," Sephiroth said, amused. He pulled the stick up to where Cloud couldn't easily reach it.

Cloud jumped for the stick, but Sephiroth held it up higher when the boy did so. He tried again, only to get the same results. By the fourth try, Cloud knew that Sephiroth was cheating. On purpose.

"Give it back," Cloud whined. He kicked Sephiroth's leg when the man didn't do as he said. He crossed his arms and turned around, pouting again. He felt a firm tap on the top of his head and, in a frenzy, rushed to get the stick while he had the chance. Quickly, it was held out of reach again.

"Give it back," Cloud said again, this time with some frustration.

"Get it yourself."

"I can't."

"Yes you can."

Cloud jumped at Sephiroth again. The man kept the stick higher and higher out of reach. No matter how hard or high Cloud tried to jump, he barely even came close to getting the stick back.

Giving up, Cloud crossed his arms again. He stared up at Sephiroth, waiting for him to take pity and return the stick.

The silver-haired man didn't. He continued to hold on.

Cloud pouted again, getting closer to Sephiroth and tugging on his pants to practically beg him for the stick. The man ignored him and held the stick up higher.

Cloud's hands clenched on Sephiroth's clothes, and he was struck with an idea. Pulling harder, he reached up for the man's shirt, jumping up to get a higher grip. With difficulty, he climbed, eventually reaching the stick and taking it from Sephiroth before falling back down to the ground.

"What did I tell you?" Sephiroth said with a small smile.

Cloud whacked him on the leg. "You said you were gonna teach me how to hit, not take my stuff away," he replied grumpily.

"There's more to fighting than just hitting. If you had lost your weapon to the enemy, they would not have given it back to you if you had asked for it. You have to take it from them yourself," Sephiroth explained.

Cloud understood. But he really wanted to learn how to hit and slice things as well as Sephiroth could. If he could do that, then having weapons taken away wouldn't be a problem, would it?

"You can't always rely on skill. Things happen sometimes, and it's important that you know how to fix the problem. Here, try to hit me." Sephiroth sat on his haunches with both his arms hanging lazily off his lap.

Cloud turned away, setting off in the general direction of the town. He counted a few paces, then turned around with his stick held high. He yelled before swinging downward onto Sephiroth's head.

He was swept off his feet as Sephiroth yanked the stick away from him again and pushed him lightly.

The boy blinked. Sephiroth had moved too fast for him to be able to comprehend what had happened, let alone see. All he could see now was one end of the stick pointing straight at him, the other end in Sephiroth's grasp.

"Can you show me how to do that, too?" Cloud asked, amazed.

Sephiroth nodded. He began to demonstrate some techniques which Cloud focused all of his attention on, eager to learn.

* * *

He was in the dining room, mentally reciting the Grinning Wolf, when his brother returned with the kid. He didn't have to look back to know it was them; his younger brothers usually weren't active until the late evening.

Sephiroth passed by without acknowledging his presence, taking the kid upstairs to let him have a bath and to do a few activities before bed, as was normal nowadays. He'd make sure the kid was asleep, come downstairs for a little bit, then go back upstairs to sleep.

Yazoo couldn't really say that he liked the change. His insomnia had him awake for several days, pondering more on the subject than he really should have. He could understand that Sephiroth had become attached to the kid. Yazoo didn't mind that at all, but the changes happening had him feeling disconcerted.

His mother was slightly on edge after the war with the Shinra was confirmed. The small amount of anxiety had spread, infecting everybody besides the kid, who was oblivious. Each reacted in their own way over the matter.

Jenova stayed secluded, hardly speaking a word to anybody. Yazoo was unsure whether she really wanted to be alone or if it was he and his brothers who stayed away.

He decided to go see her, thinking about how Loz had changed. His brother seemed more serious when making his war scenarios with his figures, as if preparing tactics to use on the Shinra. The actions seemed to fuel Kadaj's irritated behavior, making him prone to snapping at anything, even if it had nothing to do with the kid.

Sephiroth seemed to become even more attached to the kid, spending almost every second of his spare time with him, as if wanting to protect him from the Shinra. It wasn't entirely unusual for him to change like that, but it was a drastic amount in a small amount of time in Yazoo's eyes.

He opened the door to his mother's room, relieved at finding it unlocked. He relaxed a little more when he saw no signs of fresh blood in the interior of the room. She lay with her back to him on the bed, and as he sat down next to her, he was reminded of how he and his family despised change.

Change seemed to come more often as the centuries passed by. Too soon, it dwindled into decades, and then, eventually, years. Small changes didn't bother them too much. However, the bigger and major ones were like stabs in the chest. Yazoo could easily remember the change of language and how he and his family tried their hardest, refusing to give in to the change. In the end, they were forced to learn the new way of speaking, and the other changes following that one managed to force them to adapt as well. Once again, they were changing, and Yazoo did not like it. Not one bit.

"They won't," Jenova said quietly.

"They could. They probably remember us; it would be too much of a risk if one of us tried to interfere."

"I won't let them."

"Don't do it. If anybody should go, it should be one of us."

"You're not."

"Will I?"

"You won't." It was more of a command – the final say.

Yazoo wasn't going to let his mother win the argument. He couldn't.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年11月18日（月）

Finished: 2013年11月22日（金）

Seven in the morning, and I gotta go. Laptop is busted, so it will be a while before anything else is updated and before I can properly go back to fix errors. Sorry for that, but I swear there will be another updating frenzy in at least two weeks...


	32. Chapter 32

2 June 1984

The ground was soaked, and the rain continued to pour in waves, sometimes letting up but then suddenly coming back with a vengeance. Sephiroth had been ready to return to Mt. Nibel with Cloud, and still he waited, finding no chance of getting through the downpour without having Cloud get wet.

The seven year old shivered and got closer to Sephiroth. The man took off his jacket and draped it over Cloud to keep him warm.

"Won't you come inside, dear?" Mrs. Strife called through the still-open door. "It's getting cold."

Sephiroth nudged the boy, intent on waiting for the rain to stop. Cloud refused to move.

"You're coming inside, too," Cloud insisted stubbornly.

"I'll be fine," Sephiroth muttered. "Go inside before you get sick."

"I'm not going until you go," Cloud said, tugging on Sephiroth's arm. The jacket slipped and fell to the semi-dry ground. "Come on."

Sephiroth sighed in resignation when the boy wouldn't stop and stood up, following Cloud back into his mother's house. Mrs. Strife hurriedly shut the door behind them and wrapped a blanket around Cloud despite her son's small protests.

"What are we gonna do now?" Cloud said as he sat on one of the two beds in the house. "The rain doesn't look like it's gonna stop."

"It'll have to stop eventually," Sephiroth murmured. "We'll just have to wait for it."

"You're welcome to stay here as long as you need to, dear."

Sephiroth nearly snorted at that. Anything for the woman to be near her son. He really couldn't blame her. He looked out the window, slightly frustrated. Weather was not something he could control, though there were times where he wished he could do so.

He spent ages staring out into the rain, not moving or saying a thing. He declined Mrs. Strife's offer of dinner, listlessly hearing the background noise of clinking plates and silverware as Cloud and his mother ate without him. He didn't join in their conversations, either.

"Are you sure you don't want anything?" Mrs. Strife asked for the umpteenth time.

"I'm not hungry right now," Sephiroth said, keeping the small, annoyed tone that threatened to escape out of his voice.

"Come and eat, Sephiroth," Cloud said as sternly as he could given his age.

"No," Sephiroth replied teasingly.

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"I will not."

"Yes you will."

"I will not."

"Yuh-huh."

"I will."

"Ha!" Cloud exclaimed triumphantly.

"...not."

He heard the scraping of a chair against the floor along with footsteps before feeling a sharp tug on his arm. Cloud pulled and pulled, trying his hardest to drag Sephiroth away from the window.

Sephiroth had to use some effort to keep his amusement from showing. He kept still, however, and waited to see how far Cloud would go.

The other tugged, almost slipping and falling onto his butt. "You're eating food, mister!"

"But I'm not hungry."

"Yes you are, you liar!"

"If he doesn't want to eat, it's okay, Cloud," Mrs. Strife said, standing up to pull Cloud away. The boy stubbornly kept his hold on Sephiroth, able to give Mrs. Strife more trouble now that he wasn't so little anymore.

"I'll eat in a bit, Cloud," Sephiroth resigned.

"No, you're gonna eat right now!" Cloud demanded, restarting his pulling.

"In a little bit. I need to figure out a way for us to go home."

"You can't go back in this weather," Mrs. Strife said, finally managing to persuade Cloud to let go. "You'll catch something, and I will not let my baby get sick."

"Mom, I'm not a baby anymore!" Cloud pouted.

Sephiroth let out an inaudible sigh, still looking out the window. "I don't know for sure whether we can stay or not. That's what the problem is."

"I'm sure there will be an exception for this..." Mrs. Strife said, hope lacing her tone.

"If the rain doesn't stop, then I suppose." _There never was an actual limit to begin with..._

* * *

Cloud snuggled up closer to his mother, unused to the feeling of sleeping next to her but still welcoming it. He felt her arms hug him close, and he hugged her back. He missed her so much, and he was glad that Sephiroth had decided to let them spend the night together. He craned his neck and looked back, seeing Sephiroth with his back still to Cloud and his mother and still not moving in the spare bed. Cloud turned back to face his mother when something suddenly caught his eye.

He saw a shadow moving. There were no lights on outside nor inside the house, so there couldn't be any moving shadows, and he knew that fact very well. Even so, he saw that shadow, and it moved slowly across the floor right next to him, sliding under the spare bed Sephiroth slept on. Cloud blinked; he swore that the shadow changed form for a split second.

That form looked suspiciously like Jenova to him.

* * *

_Nice to see you again; it's been a while since you've been around. Terrorizing your victim again?_

_No._

_Then?_

_You will not—_

_I will._

_No._

_It's my choice, and I stand by it._

_You will not._

_They are becoming more desperate as the months go by. It would be a waste of an opportunity._

_You will not._

_I will, no matter what you or my brothers say._

_I won't. I_ can't.

He felt phantom hands embrace him.

_I have to. It has to be me. I don't want any of you in my place._

_No._

_Yes._

_No._

* * *

10 April 1985

As he dug through the closet, he found little which he thought would help him. All he really had packed were several changes of clothes and his wrapped sword. He looked once more, finding a leather trench coat. Folding it so it would take up as least amount of space possible, he tried to finish packing as quietly as he could before taking Masamune in hand and stealthily sneaking out of his room. He froze when he heard the bedsheets rustle.

"Sephiroth?" Cloud asked sleepily, rubbing one of his eyes. "What are you doing?"

"Go back to sleep, Cloud." Sephiroth opened the door and stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind him. He was partway down the stairs when he heard the door open and when he heard Cloud pad out after him. The long-haired man stopped in the living room, but didn't turn to look at the boy.

"Where are you going? Sephiroth?"

He didn't know how to break it to Cloud. He wanted to get away unnoticed, but that had failed.

"Where are you going, Sephiroth?" Cloud approached him and pulled on his shirt. "Hey. Where are you going?" he repeated for the third time.

Sephiroth finally turned around, putting his bag down and sitting on his haunches until he was at Cloud's level.

"...I'm leaving," he said simply.

"Where? Take me with you."

"I'm going somewhere far, far away to become a SOLDIER."

"Really?" Cloud beamed excitedly. "I wanna be a SOLDIER, too! Take me with you!"

"I can't, Cloud," Sephiroth said with great sadness. "I want to bring you with me, but I cannot."

The smile slowly erased himself from Cloud's face as he realized what that meant. "When are you coming back?"

"I don't know," Sephiroth admitted, looking down at the floor.

"Stay here," Cloud pleaded. "Please."

"I can't, Cloud. I have to do this."

"No, no! You don't have to!" Cloud grabbed onto Sephiroth's shoulders and attempted to shake the man. "Stay here! Don't leave me here!" Tears began to spill from Cloud's eyes.

Sephiroth hugged the boy, squeezing tightly without hurting him. "I want to stay here," he said honestly. "But I need to do this, and I can't take you with me, even though I so badly want to. I'm sorry, Cloud."

"No, NO NO DON'T LEAVE ME!" Cloud yelled, sobbing into Sephiroth's shoulder. "Don't go away!" he wailed.

Sephiroth reluctantly pulled himself away from Cloud. He wanted to do as the boy wished. He didn't want to leave Cloud nor his family.

But he had to. He had to destroy the Shinra from the inside out.

"I will come back as soon as I can," Sephiroth promised. He tried to leave for the door with as little trouble as possible, but he couldn't do much with Cloud chasing desperately after him. It took his brother Yazoo, who appeared seemingly out of nowhere, to be able to help Sephiroth.

The last look he could see on Cloud and Yazoo's faces were looks of abandonment and betrayal. The last looks he got from Loz and Kadaj on his way through town in the early hours of dawn were looks of mostly abandonment.

The look from his mother on the town limits was one of mourning.

* * *

Cloud hit and kicked for Yazoo to let him go, screaming and crying for the second eldest to let him go after Sephiroth.

"There's nothing we can do," the other said in what sounded like a calm manner to Cloud.

"Yes there is!" Cloud screamed. "I want him back! I want him to come back!"

"He's not coming back. Not for a long time."

Cloud punched Yazoo as hard as he could and did everything in his power to get him to move out of the way of the door, but Yazoo refused to move. In frustration, Cloud gave him one last kick to the knee and ran up the stairs in a fit of fury, throwing himself on the bed and screaming into the pillow. He sniffled and cried for what felt too long, and he eventually became tired. Instead of going to sleep, however, he went into the bathroom – still sniffling – to find something to wipe his nose with. He grabbed two sheets of toilet paper, blew his nose, and managed to let out another sob. He flinched when he heard a cough from somewhere close.

Cloud turned around and eyed the shower and tub which were covered by the curtain. Afraid, he walked up to nervously pull back the curtain. He screamed again, this time in fear, at what he had found.

Jenova coughed up more blood and twisted the knife embedded into her stomach area before pulling it out and adding another cut to her right arm. Cloud could only stare at the scene before he was broken out of his trance by Yazoo and Loz, who shoved him out of the way and forced the knife away from Jenova. Cloud ran from the bathroom, ran out of the room he and Sephiroth shared, and bumped right into Kadaj.

"Well, now we can actually bond with each other," Kadaj sneered, " _little brother_."

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年12月22日（日）

Finish: 2013年12月26日（木）

This chapter. This friggin' chapter. This was so hard to write, I had to completely scrap it and restart it. I wasn't planning on the next big date to be in here, but it made it in. All I can say is...finally! I've been waiting to get this part for so long. I can only apologize for the (very) long wait. It is not always easy to get into the right mood for writing this fic, nor is it always so easy to write because there is more going on in it compared to the longer. Plus, it wasn't easy to get back into writing again after having to survive an entire month without a computer. XD I honestly wanted to get this updated first, but like I said, it was harder and more frustrating than I thought. I can only ask for forgiveness and thank everyone who's put up with this story, especially from the very beginning.

Some of you might have predicted this to happen! And yes, it does start to get more predictable from now on, but I do have a few monkey wrenches still hiding under the bed. :D


	33. Chapter 33

He had told her when he was going to leave. She knew when he was going to leave before he told her. She counted the days down by adding another cut and digging deeply into the wound to do as much damage as she could before the healing did its job and erased all traces of what she had done to herself. She stopped seeing the man she made another Deal with, even going so far as to temporarily forget about him.

After all, he was nowhere near as important as her first born.

She didn't move as her other equally important sons came to stop her, only staring blankly at nothing. She didn't resist as the bloody knife was wrenched from her left hand nor did she respond to the rushed but worried talk around her. She vaguely felt herself being placed on her bed, and the voices got louder, gradually becoming a distinct word.

"Mother..."

"Mother!"

Jenova suddenly became aware of Yazoo's face in front of hers and of the way Loz was holding her tightly.

"We want him back, too, Mother," Loz said miserably.

"Don't hurt yourself for it," Yazoo murmured quietly, trying to hold her gaze so she wouldn't fall back into her trance. "He wasn't going to let any of us stop him."

"Mother!" More arms joined in to squeeze her. "Why are you doing this again?"

"They took him," she muttered. "They took him. They took him..." she trailed off, repeating the mantra under her breath.

"We're going to get him back," Kadaj said with some determination. "Just you wait, Mother. We'll bring him back."

Jenova shook her head, the subtle movement almost missed by her sons. Silent, she stared at a fixed spot on the wall littered with scratches, cuts, and stabs, not taking her eyes off of it until she was finally out of the world and into her own mind again.

She felt nothing when they had taken her the first time. But now, she was _destroyed_ after they took one of the things most precious to her. For that, she had to do something.

* * *

Anguish, misery, depression, loss, and mourning emanated from five different individuals and hit him all at once, the pure, raw emotion nearly making him physically buckle. Oh Ramuh how he wanted to turn back and stay, wanted to turn back and live his life with his family and Cloud. He was confident before that the preparations he had made would work, but now he was unsure.

Would his mother and Yazoo keep their promises to help watch after Cloud? Would they make sure to keep Kadaj from unfairly inflicting his wrath on the boy?

Sephiroth stopped for a moment, taking shaky breaths and shuddering before moving on again.

Already his mother had to be stopped from her self-mutilation. Every time she did that, it always brought back very unpleasant memories from when he was much younger and she had begun to change for the worse. He knew his brothers were comforting her by now, but it hurt him to know that he had caused her to relapse into that state.

It hurt him to know that he had caused her to go into a sort of depression that would last for who knew how long. It hurt him to know that Yazoo felt betrayed that he left him when they had always been there for each other since the beginning. It hurt him to know that Kadaj and Loz were angry at him for leaving.

It hurt him to know that he had torn a hole in Cloud's heart.

* * *

11 April 1985

Cloud could not sleep. For once in his life, he felt unsafe.

For once in his life, he felt completely and utterly alone.

He turned over, the familiar scent of Sephiroth that was on the sheets and pillow worsening his lonely feeling. Sniffing, the temptation to cry rose again. He was the only to actually burst into tears, but when he faced Jenova again – this time when she didn't look so traumatically scary – he could feel depression rolling off of her and spreading through everyone, infecting him and making him feel even worse. Seeing her staring blankly, not touching her dinner, made Cloud want to curl up somewhere and just... _cry_.

He couldn't remember much about when his mother left him, but he had Sephiroth with him. He no longer had Sephiroth and, quite frankly, he did not know what to do. His mother meant everything to him, and Sephiroth was his world. He always felt safe next to his best friend, and he knew he never had to worry about anything.

Now that Sephiroth was gone, Cloud's entire world collapsed. It slowly worsened as Kadaj continued to taunt him.

"Little brother" were two words he now abhorred. Kadaj meant no affection and was not playing around when he called Cloud that name. Cloud's worst adversary hadn't done anything to him yet, but Cloud was afraid of what the other would do now that Sephiroth was no longer here to defend him.

Cloud buried himself under the covers, trying to comfort himself without much success. He was extremely tired, but he could not sleep at all.

_Cloud..._

The voice was soft, nearly inaudible, and the pure familiarity was enough to shock him.

"Sephiroth?" he called.

_I'm sorry._

_Come back, Sephiroth_ , Cloud mentally pleaded to the voice. Please _come back._

_I want to. I really, really do. But I can't. I'm sorry._

_No sorry's. Come back!_

_Believe me, Cloud. I really want to come back. I really do. But don't worry..._

Cloud sniffled, his eyes and throat starting to burn with the oncoming tears.

_...we are very far away from each other, but I will always be here. Never forget, I am always with you even though we are separated._

_When will you come back? I want you here for real._

_I do not know when I will be able to return. But I am still here with you. Any time you need me, I am here._

Now Cloud understood. _Promise?_

Reassurance, comfort, and promises traveled from wherever Sephiroth was and entered Cloud through his mind, and soon the boy felt much better.

_I promise._

* * *

The kid was drenched in Sephiroth's smell, and it was driving him crazy. He and his brother had drifted apart a bit, but his feelings had not changed since that time.

Oh how he was so tempted to take the kid from his brother's bed and leave him somewhere else so he could take that spot. He'd always wanted that spot, always wanted the spots Sephiroth inhabitated no matter where he'd slept. He'd thought the obsession (he felt disgusted calling it that; it was _not_ an obsession) had abated, but furiously, it came back along with the nightmares once his brother left.

Oh how he was surely losing it. He'd considered himself the sanest of them all, but it seemed he was wrong. The realization hit him hard, and he couldn't believe that he was having a bit of a hard time handling it.

Hunching over on the roof where he had been sitting on his haunches, he put his hands over his head, tangling his fingers in his hair. Breathing harshly, he rocked back and forth a little, having his own version of a panic attack, though it really wasn't one.

He was not giving in. He never gave in and did as his mother did. He never did it before and would never do it in the future, no matter what happened.

After all, Yazoo was not the type to do that, despite what the nightmares and insomnia told him.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2013年12月29日（日）

Finished: 2013年12月31日（火）

I started the year with this fic, so it's appropriate I end it with the same story. Wow, how this has grown. I'm starting to feel a little nostalgic. T~T I will admit, I was not entirely in the right mind while doing this, since it's nearly two in the morning and my brain's not really there even though I can't sleep just yet (caffeine, whoo!). XD I really hope the final scene gave off the right vibe, but I'm really unsure about it. Wait, never mind – I really doubt it did.

In response to ED: _Huge_ apologies for the very late reply! But had it been a boy that Cloud had met and talked to in Nibelheim, the outcome of Chapter 30 would have been exactly the same – however, instead of being told to avoid girls, Cloud would hear a horror story about why he should avoid boys.

The very last fic update of 2013! I will see you all next year. Have a happy Eve, and an even better start to the new year! ^o^


	34. Chapter 34

13 April 1985

Exhausted, Cloud nearly rolled off the bed and onto the floor. Passing out from lack of sleep was not the same as normally falling asleep, and the heavy, weighted feeling that came with waking up from the latter was unpleasant. He rubbed the sleep out from his eyes and sluggishly trudged downstairs for something to drink to help make him fully awake. He paused in confusion when reaching the bottom of the stairs.

Nobody was around. Everyone else was usually asleep or doing whatever else during the day, but Cloud had not paid much mind to it before Sephiroth had left. The sudden realization hit him hard, making his feelings of loneliness and abandonment escalate into much higher levels.

Lethargy clinging to him, he turned the downstairs lights on, walked to the fridge, and took out some juice, finding a clean cup and filling it up halfway with the drink. He put the juice container away and sat down on the couch with his cup, drinking from it while looking up at the TV for a moment.

The silence was getting to him. He slid off the couch and stood on tiptoe to reach for the switch to turn the TV on but then hesitated. He wanted to chase away the silence, but he didn't want to cause a great disturbance, either. He drank some more of his juice and went back to the fridge, opening it and looking through it more thoroughly.

Nothing he could use to make a sandwich. Cloud finished off the rest of his juice and left the cup near the sink, climbing onto the counter and opening the cupboards. He couldn't find any cereal there.

His rumbling stomach urged him to find something to eat, but the youth could not find anything that he could make himself. He poured himself some more juice in attempt to quell his hunger, but it only dulled the small pangs. Cloud dumped the cup in the sink and went back to the bottom of the stairs, peering up into the darkness. He went up the steps slowly, hesitantly, and stopped at the door to the room Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo shared. He turned the knob and stuck his head through the doorway.

Kadaj and Loz were asleep on their own beds. Yazoo was nowhere to be seen. Not wanting to wake up his terrorist, Cloud silently backed away and closed the door. He went deeper into the dark hallway, passing the room he slept in alone.

Jenova lay in a heap with her back to him when he entered the room.

"Baba?" Cloud asked cautiously, not wanting to startle her. "Are you awake?"

No answer or movement. He walked up to her and shook her and still got nothing.

"Ba, I'm hungry."

"Make your own food," she snapped.

Taken aback from the harshness of her command, Cloud said fearfully, "But I don't know how."

"Learn."

"I need someone to teach me," Cloud reasoned. He scurried backwards when he saw her rise from the bed, and he quickly turned around and covered his eyes when he saw that she was naked. He heard her step around him and heard the footsteps make muffled echoes down the hall. Uncovering his eyes, Cloud took a good look around the room, caught the sight of blood, and ran out of the room and downstairs, where it was less scary.

In the living room now, he heard the familiar, crackling sound of cooking egg, but one peek into the kitchen had him turning around and covering his eyes again.

"Ba, go put your clothes on!"

She didn't say anything to him. He continued to stand there, waiting, until the noises died down and he felt a hand push him. He opened his eyes again, seeing his breakfast on the table, complete with eating utensils, and he immediately slid into his seat and scarfed down the bacon and eggs.

"Thank you, Baba," he said when he was done, taking his fork and plate to the sink. Not seeing her out in the open, he checked the living room again and found her laying on the couch, staring at nothing.

"Thank you, Ba," Cloud repeated.

"Hm," was all he received in response.

"Are you okay?"

"Well enough."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Cloud knew that she didn't want to talk to anybody and that she probably hadn't even wanted to get out of bed in the first place.

"I'm sorry, Ba."

"For?"

"For waking you up."

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

Still feeling bad about it, Cloud walked over to the door, pressing his hand against the cold wood.

"Can I go see my mom?" he blurted out.

"Go."

"By myself?"

"Yes."

"But the monsters—"

"They won't."

"Yes they will. They'll get me if I go alone."

"Learn how to defend yourself, then."

"But I can't fight against monsters."

"Then you should learn how to."

"I need someone to teach me that!" Cloud said with frustration. He was tired of trying to reason. He just wanted to go see his mother, even if it wasn't time to visit her yet.

"I suppose you'll have to ask somebody to teach you." He heard more shifting and footsteps, catching a glimpse of Jenova going up the stairs. He sighed and let the back of his head fall towards the door. The realization of how many things he had to do on his own, without help, were slowly sinking into his mind, and he didn't like it. He trudged up the stairs and into his room, looking for his sweater and his shoes.

He'd show Jenova. He was still afraid of the monsters that he knew were out there, but he'd show her that he could do things himself without Sephiroth. He strode back down the stairs and opened the door, leaving the house.

Once he was out there, past the invisible line where he felt safe, he was suddenly struck with the urge to go back. He stopped, panting a little from the cold air. Slowly, his feet began to turn him around, and he felt as if they were doing so of their own accord.

"Any more progress, and I would have thought you were doing fine."

Cloud's head snapped sharply to his left, and he saw Jenova jumping down from a boulder, now fully clothed. She stopped right behind him, but said nothing more. Cloud took an experimental step forward, and she followed. He took another step. She took another step. The boy started on the trail to the slope and Jenova kept following him, but she strayed further behind, possibly inspecting for any potential enemies.

Cloud used the shortcut and slid down the slope, being followed again by Jenova until they reached the bottom.

"I told you nothing was going to attack you."

Cloud ignored the statement. She did tell him, but he was not going to admit it. He went on the path to the town, noticing that he was no longer being followed.

"Thank you for taking me, Ba."

"Hm."

"Baba?"

"Yes?"

"When do you think Sephiroth is going to come back?"

"I don't know..."

Cloud turned around one last time.

Jenova was gone.

* * *

The villagers stared at him as he went through town to his mother's house, their scrutiny making Cloud feel very out of place. He practically ran to his mother's door and knocked it with a shaky hand.

The door opened nearly instantly. "Cloud? Where's Sephiroth? Did you come down here all by yourself?" His mother's tone suddenly became frantic at the last question.

Cloud went inside and sat on one of the beds. "He's gone..."

"He is?"

Cloud nodded, trying to keep the memories from resurfacing without much success.

Mrs. Strife went down to Cloud's level and hugged her son, running her fingers through his hair and soothing him.

"He said he'd be back," Cloud said through sniffles, "but I didn't want him to go."

"Oh, dear," Mrs. Strife said sadly, "He should be back sometime. But how did you get down here?"

"Ba took me."

Mrs. Strife stiffened a little at hearing that.

"She said I could come see you." Cloud hugged his mother tightly. "I'm gonna ask her if I can come every day. Can I?" He looked up into his mother's sad face.

"Of course you can. Any time, for as long as you want," she said, patting Cloud on the back. "But don't go up and down the mountain by yourself. I don't want you getting hurt. And don't forget to bundle up more during the colder seasons," she added quickly.

Cloud sighed a little at his mother's worrying, but he welcomed and felt actual comfort from it.

* * *

17 April 1985

_Cloud..._

He pulled the blankets over himself. He couldn't tell if it was his imagination or...

_It's me. I'm here._

_Are you there yet?_

_Not yet. Almost._

_Are you okay?_

_I'm fine. Have you been treated well?_

_Yeah. Ba lets me go see mom a lot more now._

_That's good to know._

_Will you tell me when you get to the SOLDIER place?_

_I will._

_Sephiroth?_

_Yes?_

_We'll always be best friends forever, won't we?_

The boy could swear he felt a hand pat him on the head.

_Always._

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2014年1月15日（水）

Finished: 2014年1月18日（土）

Uploaded: 2014年1月20日（月）

An entire year gone by... *sniffle* Gawd, I'm feeling nostalgic now. I actually kind of miss the way it was exactly one year ago. Too many reasons to list here, though. :'D Maybe this year this fic will finally be complete. *remembers other stuff* Or not...

300 reviews?! O_O Thanks, everybody! :D I might work on a thank-you picture soon. ^_^ Seriously, this means a whole lot to me. A big thanks to everybody that is still putting up with this story, especially those that have stuck around since the very beginning. :')

For those wondering about the other Deal, that was going to be explained in a side story, but I can't write it just yet. Too many fics in the hiatus bin and too many still ongoing. T~T

Baba is a pun with three (or four, but the last one doesn't make much sense) different meanings. Try guessing all of them. ;)


	35. Chapter 35

8 June 1985

Cloud held his stick in his right hand, slowly moving in the patterns Sephiroth had taught him. He swung hard enough to make a slight whistling noise in the air, disturbing the grass with his harsh whips.

He had been practicing every day for the past week or so, sometimes receiving mental instruction from Sephiroth whenever the man had the opportunity to help him. It was not the same, however, and Cloud had some difficulty learning anything new without Sephiroth there to physically guide him.

The boy paused to catch his breath, shrugging off the mental "I told you so's" he received from Sephiroth as a result of not pacing himself. He leaned on his stick to lazily hold himself up.

_Where are you at now?_

_I have just arrived near the ocean, which I will cross to the other continent._

_Ocean? What's it like?_

_Noisy_ , Sephiroth said vaguely.

 _Is that it?_ Cloud thought there would be more to oceans. The books he'd read and the pictures he'd seen always made them out to be something either great or terrible.

_I'm only staying here to rest. I will leave again tomorrow._

Cloud took his weight off of his stick, stretched, and began his routine again. _Baba says you're taking too long._ It wasn't entirely the truth. Jenova hardly ever spoke to anybody and would go completely silent at any mention of Sephiroth.

 _Did she say that or did_ you _say that?_

She _said it!_

_I don't think so. Try rephrasing your statement._

Cloud didn't answer. He was too busy whipping through the air with his imaginary sword, or so he told himself.

_How has your mother been?_

_She's okay. She's happy that Ba lets me see her whenever I want._

_That's good to hear. Have they been treating you well?_

Sephiroth always asked him that question whenever he was able to communicate with Cloud. Cloud wished he could say that things were always fine, but somehow he felt that Sephiroth could see through his white lies.

_Baba won't make me food at all anymore. She said I should've been 'weaned' by now. What does that mean?_

_It means she's crazy._

_Oh._ Cloud wasn't sure whether to believe that or not, though he was leaning towards a no. _But it's okay. I can make my own food now that she showed me how_ , Cloud said proudly. Oftentimes, though, he felt it was too much work for him and he'd protested as much to Jenova once.

"Living is too much work for me, yet I still do it," she had snapped bitterly. Cloud had made sure to keep his distance from her since then.

A sigh came from the mental link. _Be careful, Cloud. I can only do so much from here._

_Then come back._

_You know I want to, but I can't. We've been over this many times already._

_I know..._

Another sigh. _I swear that I will be back as soon as I can, Cloud. I promise you that_ , Sephiroth restated for the hundredth time.

Cloud simply nodded, though Sephiroth couldn't see the gesture. He zoned out now, Sephiroth's voice periodically commenting on his actions. The boy tried to correct his mistakes whenever Sephiroth pointed them out.

"Will you look at that?" Cloud heard behind him. "He's still doing it."

Kadaj sneered down at him when he turned around. Loz snickered lightly behind his brother.

"What are you trying to do, _little brother_?" Kadaj spat out the last two words mockingly.

"None of your business!" Cloud clenched his fists around his stick.

"It is my business." Kadaj closed the distance between them, looking down right over Cloud. "I just want to know what my little brother is up to."

Cloud stared up into those poisonous eyes, ready to whack his worst adversary in the face. "But I'm not your brother."

"Not my brother?" False hurt was in Kadaj's voice. "Really? That's a horrible thing to say!" Glancing at Loz and then shifting his gaze back to Cloud, he said with glee, "That only means I can do this."

Cloud yelled in pain as his arm was twisted and forced between his back before Kadaj kicked him down into the grass and stepped on him.

"Get off!" Cloud cried. He squirmed in vain to get out from under Kadaj. "It hurts!" He screamed when another weight settled on top of him.

"That's rude," Loz scolded, leaning on his foot to put even more of his weight onto Cloud.

"Didn't your idiotic whore mother teach you better manners?" Kadaj moved his foot onto the back of Cloud's head. "Scream all you like," he goaded. "She abandoned you. Sephiroth is gone. Nobody is here."

"GET OFF OF ME!" Cloud screeched. He couldn't move, couldn't feel anything but the crushing pressure Kadaj and Loz were putting on him.

He couldn't even breathe.

Kadaj laughed mockingly at that and put even more pressure on Cloud, causing the boy to scream louder.

"See that?" The weight was taken off of Cloud and he was yanked up by his hair. Cloud closed his eyes as the searing pain ripped through where Kadaj had his grip on wild blond locks. "The villagers are looking at us. But they're not going to help you. You know why?"

Through tear-filled vision, Cloud looked, barely able to see anything due to the distance away from the town. He couldn't see much other than brown blurry buildings. He was spun around so he faced Kadaj, who seemed to be wincing in pain.

"Nobody wants you here. You're better off dead, kid," Kadaj said with venom. He flinched, his right eye twitching. He clutched at his forehead with his free hand.

"I'm not doing anything!" Loz shouted into the air. He was grabbing at his head as if he had a raging headache.

Cloud cried out again as Kadaj threw him a few feet away. He scrambled to get up onto his feet and tightened his grip around his stick defensively, running off towards the town and crying for help.

"Mama!" he wailed at the top of his lungs. "Ma—!" He screamed again as loud as he could when he was tripped and dragged by his leg, loose pebbles digging into his skin and scraping it.

"Shut up!" Kadaj covered Cloud's mouth with his hand, and the boy was nearly strangled for biting the hand.

"What are you doing?!" the familiar voice screeched with horror. "Let him go!"

It was his mother. She was running towards him, and she tried to free him from Kadaj's grasp. Kadaj shoved her away while squeezing Cloud, his strength causing Mrs. Strife to fall hard while simultaneously hurting Cloud even more.

"Loz, deal with the woman!"

"I can't!" Loz doubled over, still clutching at his head.

Kadaj made pained noises as well, and he started to back away from Mrs. Strife who had gotten up and started running towards him again. Cloud's head rattled as Kadaj bumped into something and nearly made the both of them fall over.

"Release him."

"But mother—!" Kadaj tried to protest.

"You are making a scene and your brother has had enough. Release him." Jenova was stern with her words though her eyes were dull, as if she wasn't entirely there.

Cloud ran into his mother's arms as soon as Kadaj had released him. He looked back fearfully, finding Kadaj looking absolutely furious, and the youngest brother appeared twice as intimidating to Cloud with his face distorted by the pain he no doubt felt in his head.

"Go home."

"I—"

"Now." Jenova left no room for argument. "You, too, Loz."

"Yes, mother," Loz said, already leaving. Kadaj lingered before finally giving in and obeying.

Jenova looked at Cloud. No, not at him, a little more upwards. At his mother. She gave her a look, then turned and left.

Cloud held onto his mother's hand as she rushed him back home, and he caught sight of the villagers staring at them, some with fear, some with curiosity, and some with disgust.

That girl he had met... He couldn't remember her name at the moment, but she looked at him with pure disbelief. Confused, Cloud focused his gaze on her the longest before he was forced to face the other way.

Mrs. Strife sniffed, her face red. She set Cloud down on one of the beds and hastily left to look for something to clean and dress his wounds with.

"You're staying here with me," Mrs. Strife said shakily, reining in the nearly uncontrollable urge to sob, "and you're not going back to them for as long as I have something to say about it." She jumped as Cloud cried out when she put alchohol on his arm scrapes. "Oh, Cloud," she sobbed. "First they starve you and now... _this_!"

"I don't want to go back, mom." Cloud sniffed as another realization hit him. He now knew just how far Kadaj would go without Sephiroth there to stop him.

Mrs. Strife put bandages around Cloud's arms and lifted his pants, wincing at what she found underneath. She cleaned those scrapes and stuck some band-aids on there, moving on to wipe the dirt off of Cloud's face with a wet cloth. "Oh, dear, they're not taking you back. Not without going through me," she added more reassuringly.

 _Don't worry_ , Sephiroth's voiced said out of nowhere in Cloud's head. _I made sure to punish the both of them._

"I don't want to go back," Cloud repeated. "I don't want to."

* * *

He hated Nibelheim. It was too warm, too close to people, and the townspeople were terrible. He wanted to leave it.

He hated Nibelheim. There was a village there, the mountain was a maze within a maze, and the dragons made terrible neighbors in certain times of the year.

He wanted to return.

In Costa del Sol, Sephiroth panted lightly. The heat was unbearable, and that made it difficult for him to channel enough energy to give both Kadaj and Loz migraines at the same time. He rubbed at his temples, trailing sweat around the places he touched.

He felt claustrophobic and awkward with so many humans around, and he feared that one day he would snap at somebody without warning and cause a ruckus. To the best of his ability, he kept out of the public and stayed indoors. Coupled with the fact that those _people_ stared at him and (though uncommon) even followed him, it was quite a feat. Even so, he did what he could to keep Cloud some form of company, and hearing the boy's cries and feeling his pain tore him. It took a lot of effort for him to try to defend him despite the distance, and he was exhausted, though he had a feeling the heat had more to do with that.

He used more of his spare energy to prevent his aches and pains from transferring over to Cloud (it did not take much effort, however) and laid back on his bed.

Just thinking of Midgar and how two of his brothers (although Loz hardly had anything to do with it) were going after Cloud made him sick.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2014年1月27日（月）

Finished: 2014年1月30日（木）

Uploaded: 2014年1月31日（金）

Just in time for the original Japanese release of Final Fantasy VII! Yay! I'll go play the Japanese version now~ (Yes, I do own the discs and know how to make them work on my PS1. Also, this will be the last time until I wait on uploading fics, too, for now. I promise.)

*eats popcorn while waiting for reactions*

Okay, I see that one of the notes in the last chapter was taken too seriously. I will spell out right here: **I hate Crisis** **Core**. I hate that game so so so so much, to the point where I even try to convince myself that it doesn't exist. I have my reasons for disliking that game, and I'm sorry if it offends anybody, but there will not be any references from it in here except maybe for Zack's last name being Fair, since he never had one in the original game.


	36. Chapter 36

9 June 1985

That stupid kid was still on his mind as the night hours passed by and the dawn of the next day was arriving. His head still throbbed with the mental force that had struck it, and he muttered curses under his breath.

It always led back to that kid. Always. And he was a permanent addition to the family now, and even with Sephiroth gone, he still had some form of protection on him. Even Mother was defending him...though Kadaj had a feeling that it was only because Sephiroth wanted her to.

The sun tried to peek out from behind the thick curtain of the window in the room. It was much too late for him to be awake, but while his thoughts of what he wanted to do with the brat were slowly beginning to die down for the time being, something else began to stir awake.

Unintelligible mumbling came from the other side of the room. Kadaj lifted himself up with one arm and leaned closer, peering down at Yazoo from the top bunk bed.

His second eldest brother was tossing and turning, unable to keep still, but then suddenly stopped. He lay in peace for a few seconds, mumbled something again that Kadaj couldn't catch, and then twitched, practically jumping.

_He's doing it again_ , Kadaj told Loz. He could feel a small amount of anxiety emanating from Loz; it was apparent that Yazoo had woken him up.

"...crow..." he heard softly, slightly distorted by sleep. "...he said – it was there..."

With a small snicker, Kadaj slipped out of bed and approached his sleeping brother. "Crow said what?" he asked in a whisper.

" _Yakren, urani zë tengolt mehl..._ "

Forgive the rabbit's mistakes? That sounded familiar to him, though he couldn't remember the entire thing. He cocked his head and listened intently, curious now that his brother had suddenly spoken in the old language.

Nothing more. Then...

" _Kiyi..._ "

That was the last he heard before Yazoo trailed off and stayed silent, occasionally muttering words that Kadaj couldn't understand. He waited still for any reaction when suddenly Yazoo began to move again. He jerked to one side before beginning to quiver, and then shake seemingly uncontrollably. Kadaj backed away, and when Yazoo went into a fit, he scrambled back up into his bed.

_Get off_ , he told Loz, more than half of his body hanging on the side of his bed.

_I'm not going back down there_ , his brother said, refusing to budge. Kadaj cursed under his breath, looking down at Yazoo who was mumbling nonsense again, and he hoisted himself back onto the bed, pushing Loz to the side as far as he could. Even though Loz moved himself, he still took up too much space. Kadaj was uncomfortably close to his brother and still didn't have his entire body on the mattress.

Yazoo continued to have his fits, calming down every few seconds before starting up again. Eventually, he stopped and didn't move for at least ten minutes. Kadaj waited for any more movement, but there was none.

_Get off._ Now, he demanded Loz.

His brother proceeded to shove him off his own bed. Kadaj hit his side against the floor and held in the profanities he wanted to shout.

* * *

  
_Jackal was the advisor, the friend, the one who was there until the very end._

_Rabbit was in trouble again. So Jackal listened._

_"Friend Jackal, Crow has told me that a stranger by the name of Serpent is angry, and it is my fault. What should I do?"_

_"Friend Rabbit, why is stranger Serpent angry? Why is it your fault?"_

_"Crow says that I have disturbed his dinner. But I have never met stranger Serpent."_

_"Bring Crow to me. I would like to hear what he has to say."_

_So Rabbit left to find Crow. Jackal waited, and waited, and waited some more. He waited until he heard the evening song of the cicadas. And then finally, Crow showed up, flapping his wings and perching on a low tree branch._

_"Rabbit says you've summoned me. What is it, Jackal? What do you need?"_

_"Friend Rabbit says that you have told him news of stranger Serpent having his dinner disturbed by him. What did you mean by that?"_

_"I said no such thing, Jackal. Why, I haven't seen Rabbit at all today until he came to tell me you wanted to speak."_

_"I have spoken. I will speak to friend Rabbit again."_

_Crow gave a bird's version of a bow, and he flew off, cawing loudly. Rabbit returned to Jackal._

_"Friend Rabbit, Crow has told me that he said nothing about stranger Serpent to you."_

_"But that's a lie!" Rabbit cried. "Crow told me just this morning!"_

_"Crow says that he had not seen you at all today until I asked you to summon him."_

_"But that's a lie!" Rabbit cried again. "Friend Jackal, I saw him, I spoke to him!"_

_"The stories I have heard are different. One or none is true," Jackal concluded. "Which one?"_

_"Mine, friend Jackal, it's mine that's true!"_

_"I will speak to stranger Serpent, then. Have you any idea where to find him, friend Rabbit?"_

_"None, I have none."_

_"Friend Rabbit, if you do not know where stranger Serpent is, how could you have disturbed his dinner? How could Crow have known?"_

_"I do not know, friend Jackal. That is why I am asking you for help."_

_"But, friend Rabbit, I do not know whose story is true. Yours has many errors."_

_Rabbit raised a paw, pointing it at Jackal. "My story? What about Crow's? If he has told me these things this morning and now he is saying that he has not seen me at all today until after the evening song, then how is the error mine?"_

_"Friend Rabbit, both stories have error with each other. But which is the true error is what I need to find out."_

_"Friend Jackal, I do not think you believe me. I do not think you are trying to help me."_

_"Think what you will, friend Rabbit. I need to find out which story is true."_

_Rabbit turned away from the sitting Jackal and strode off into the forest, not even saying goodbye. It was two hops later when Jackal saw someone snatch his friend and take him away._

* * *

He disliked that story. To him, the jackal didn't seem to really care about his supposed friend. The dumb animal didn't seem to really want to do anything other than make excuses. The rabbit had made a mistake in trusting the crow, and the jackal had claimed to want to help him...

He couldn't really think much more on the subject before he was suddenly seeing that... _thing_ again.

It was in a concrete room with very little lighting, and it lay in a miserable heap. Its legs were broken again, and its eye sockets looked up, black gunk leaking from the empty holes. Its stitched mouth leaked more of the fluid, and it made pitiful whines, crawling forward slowly on its impossibly long and thin arms.

It began to heave, and he heard bones popping, and then a crack as he watched the thing's back slowly begin to cave in and break. The thing made warbled screaming noises and its mouth began to move, appearing to try to open up. The stitches popped, and he could see something making its way out of the thing's throat before it threw up a black blob. Screeching came from both the thing and the wet, black blob, and it pierced through his ears and head, but no matter how hard he put his hands on his ears, he couldn't dull the horrid noises at all, and he couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight of the writhing creatures.

Yazoo hated it. He hated when these types of dreams came to him. He hated that thing. Hated its noises, its appearance, _everything about it._

But he couldn't stop looking at it. It wheezed helplessly as it flailed about. He felt no sympathy for the thing. In actuality, he wanted nothing more for it to actually die and for it to stop coming so close, for it to stop giving him false hope when he was nothing more than a disembodied viewer.

The deformities continued to squirm and scream, though the latter soon died down quick. And three eternities later, he swore that the thing was staring straight at him.

* * *

11 June 1985

Cloud had taken refuge in his mother's home, and she had been extra clingy to him. He had been afraid of going outside, afraid that Kadaj would attack him when he was unaware. His mother had been afraid for him as well, though it was the most fear that Cloud had ever seen from her. He didn't have much to do during all the time he spent with her, but she tried to keep him entertained with books and small chores to do. Cloud often finished the chores quickly, and the books could only hold his attention for so long.

He was currently sitting on one of the beds, thumbing through a medium-sized book and skimming through the text. The story failed to catch his interest, but he still looked through the pages, looking for any specific sentences that would try to jump out at him.

None really did. He paid more attention to the sounds of his mother's cooking than he did to whatever was going on in his book, and he had no idea what was going on anymore. He'd lost track of the plot a few pages ago.

"Mom?"

"Yes?" Mrs. Strife looked over her shoulder at Cloud for a brief moment before turning back to her cooking.

"When is lunch gonna be ready?"

"In another few minutes."

"Oh. Okay." He looked down at his book again, and closed it. He didn't think he could even _pretend_ to be interested in it anymore. He slid off and walked over to the window, leaning on the sill and looking outside.

He saw two boys running around town, throwing a ball to each other as a dog chased after whoever had it. One boy stopped in his tracks and tossed the ball over the dog to the other boy, and that boy threw it back. They continued to tease the dog until a girl ran out. She shouted something excitedly, though Cloud couldn't understand what she had said through the glass, and the boy who had the ball threw it towards her.

"...can I play outside?" he asked hesitantly. He could hear his mother's racket slow down and get quieter.

"I don't want you to get hurt by them, Cloud," she said quietly.

"But I haven't seen Kadaj at all," he protested. The longer he watched other kids outside, the more his curiosity began to take over his apprehension.

His mother didn't reply to him, but after a long pause, she said, "You can play after lunch. But I will be by the window in case something happens."

"Okay."

She turned back to her cooking while Cloud continued to look outside the window, watching as the girl caught the ball and threw it at the dog. The boys looked disappointed while the dog ran off with the ball, bowing and sticking its butt in the air. The dog let the ball fall out of its mouth and backed up, as if waiting.

It was then that Cloud had to pull himself away from the window and sit at the table. He reluctantly turned to his lunch and began to eat, trying not to shovel everything into his mouth at once. Even so, he ate more quickly than usual, and he ran to the door once he was finished. He looked back once at his mother, who gave him a slightly worried look, and he opened the door and went outside, losing some of his confidence once he stepped through the doorway.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2014年2月26日（水）

Finished: 2014年3月7日（金）

More gibberish. Yakren - jackal, urani - rabbit, zë - (indicates possession), tengolt - mistakes, mehl - forgive. Kiyi is the sound of a hurt/dying animal.

I'm extremely sorry again for how long this took and for how short it is, but damn, writing has been hard for me recently. T~T I might have to take a hiatus, but I really don't want to. Ugh. But hey, for those that have been waiting for _Assistant_ , there's a light at the end of the tunnel for you. :3


	37. Chapter 37

The other children took no notice of him once he had closed the door behind himself. Nervously, Cloud walked forward towards the girl.

She was laughing at her two other friends, laughing at how they were frowning at her for throwing the ball to the dog. The dog, meanwhile, pawed at the ball and jumped back, as if wanting someone to throw the ball again.

Cloud was only a few feet away when the girl stopped and looked at him with a suspicious gaze. The boys looked at Cloud as well, one with narrowed eyes, the other with slight trepidation. Shyly, Cloud looked down at his feet, unsure of what to do.

"Are you that demon boy?" one of the boys blurted out.

Cloud quickly looked up in confusion. "Demon boy?"

"He talks! He's gonna put curses on us!" the other boy cried, backing away.

"I'm not a demon!" Cloud said loudly. "I'm Cloud!"

"Cloud?" the girl repeated with a puzzled look on her face. "Do I know you?"

The eight-year-old nodded. "I remember you from a long time ago when you were playing with grandpa dog. Do you remember me?"

The girl shook her head. "Not really." She didn't say anything else for a minute or two before she asked, "Were you the one who got called by one of the demons?"

"What demon? There are no demons here."

"Tifa, don't listen to him!" the boy that had backed away shouted. "He's one of them!"

"No I'm not!" Miserable, Cloud looked down at his feet. "I just wanted to play, too..."

The girl named Tifa – yes, that was her name; he'd forgotten – looked at Cloud, then back at her friends. She seemed very unsure, and Cloud could see her friends shaking their heads. Eventually, Tifa went over to pick up the ball from the ground. The dog, which had lost interest long ago, stood up from where it lay on the dirt and began to wag its tail.

Cloud caught the ball, nearly stumbling over in surprise. He threw it back to Tifa, and she threw it at him again. When Cloud threw it back, he was slightly surprised to see Tifa throw it to one of her friends instead. That boy, however, began to pass the ball between himself and the last boy, neither of them throwing the ball back towards Tifa or Cloud.

"Hey, I'm here, too!" Tifa protested. She caught the ball when it was thrown at her and began to run. Her friends chased after her, and Cloud joined in.

The rest of the afternoon was spent chasing after whoever had the ball in their hands, though one of them had to defend it from the dog from time to time. Cloud had lots of fun, though eventually, he started playing more with the dog than with the others.

It was inevitable, but Cloud was very reluctant to go when his mother called him in. He turned and said a quick goodbye before going home. He'd never noticed the entire time that Tifa and her friends had been moving farther and farther away from him as the day had dragged on.

* * *

Mrs. Strife was relieved when her son came back in. She'd been worried sick for the first few moments, though she had begun to calm down the longer Cloud had played with the village children without being harmed. However, she was still on edge, afraid that Jenova or any of her sons would come down from Mt. Nibel again.

"Did you have fun?" Mrs. Strife asked Cloud, moreso to distract herself from the bad memories.

The boy nodded. "Yeah. I liked playing with the dog and the ball."

"What do you think of your new friends?"

Cloud was silent for a short while, then said, "I like them. They're nice."

"Good. I'm glad." She pushed her child towards the bathroom. "Bath time for you. You're full of dust."

Cloud groaned, but left to pick out a change of clothes. Mrs. Strife went into the kitchen area to prepare dinner.

"Mom?"

"Yes?"

"My friends..." Cloud began, hesitating. "My friends are nice. But they kept calling me a demon boy. That's the only thing that wasn't nice about them. I don't know why they kept saying that."

Mrs. Strife stiffened. "That's not very nice of them. Ask them to stop, and if it keeps happening, tell me. Okay?"

Cloud nodded, then went into the bathroom.

Mrs. Strife's heart clenched. It was her fault. If it wasn't for her, none of that would happen. Now she had the fear of things getting even worse to deal with.

* * *

_Are you awake?_

Cloud yawned and shifted onto his other side, nearly falling asleep until he heard Sephiroth's voice.

_Yeah._

_I'm in Midgar now._

_Really?_

_Yes. I got here last night._

_What's it like?_

_I don't like it._

_That doesn't tell me anything,_ Cloud grumbled.

_Sorry. I'm still tired. I've been busy all day. How have you been doing?_

_I went outside and played with other kids today._

He heard no response from Sephiroth, which made Cloud a little nervous.

 _Mom called them my new friends, but..._ Cloud didn't really think of it that way. The thought of him having a friend other than Sephiroth was impossible. Playing with Tifa and her two friends was nothing like messing around with Sephiroth when he was still here. Calling them his friends was...weird.

_...they kept calling me a demon boy. I don't know why._

_Don't listen to them. They've been calling me and my family demons for years._

_Why?_

_Because they're stupid._

_How long have they been 'stupid'?_

_A very long time._

How _long?_

_Long before you were even born._

_Did you do anything to them?_

_We existed._

_But I don't get it._

_Don't worry about it. But if any of them do anything to you, tell your mother, and then tell me._

_Okay..._ Cloud was still confused, but he dropped the subject. Sephiroth didn't seem too pleased about the subject, and the boy didn't like to see his friend upset about something. _Can you tell me more about Midgar when you can?_

_Of course. I have things to do tomorrow, though._

_What kind of things._

_I don't know. I'll have to see._

_You're going to become a SOLDIER, right? When I grow up, I want to go to Midgar, too. We can be SOLDIERs together._

_I don't plan on being here for long, Cloud._

_Come back soon then._

_I will._

_Promise?_

_I promise._

It didn't matter how many times he said that. He wanted Sephiroth to come back, wanted him to make and keep his promises.

_Go to sleep, Cloud._

The boy rolled his eyes and turned over onto his stomach.

_Good night, Sephiroth.  
_

_Good night._

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2014年5月14日（水）

Finished: 2014年5月19日（月）

Hnnngg, it's short, and I'm sorry for the long time with no update. Too many video games and too much doodling. ;_; Somebody come and kick my ass over fics. I really need it.

Seph's POV next chapter! I'll try to update this faster, but I've been stuck again. D:


	38. Chapter 38

14 June 1985

It was loud. It was crowded. People were everywhere, and there were far more all at once than Sephiroth had seen in half his lifetime. His ears ached and he was sweating profusely, still unused to the heat of the ugly city. He tugged at his uniform, the infantryman clothes further pushing him to the point of nearly overheating.

Keeping quiet, Sephiroth straightened his entire body, standing at attention while in formation. His hands were crossed behind his back and he made no expression on his face while the sergeant slowly walked by in front of him and the other men.

He'd made it through the initial recruitment stage with little trouble, but the next few days reminded him of the long way he had to go. The drills were simple, almost painfully so, but it was dumbing down his abilities that Sephiroth had to use lots of effort to put up with. He hated it. Absolutely hated it. He hated everything about this place, and homesickness set in the longer he stayed.

Nibelheim had been bad, but there, it was quiet. There, he was practically isolated. There, he didn't break a sweat anywhere as easily except during the summer. There, he could easily get by without talking to anybody he didn't want to.

There, he had his family and Cloud. Here, he was cannon fodder for the war.

The drills began, and Sephiroth concentrated on going through the movements with some stiffness, attempting to make it look like he had not yet developed those skills yet. There was no weapon training yet, which Sephiroth simultaneously was glad for and was frustrated about. Hand-to-hand first, then ranged combat, and finally, swords. Although he had little experience with guns, they weren't a weapon he really cared for due to the noise and having to reload, but it would alleviate some of this frustration over having to sit through lessons that he'd learned long ago.

The silver-haired man didn't say a word about it all. He ignored the curious looks thrown at him when the drills were over. Despite what he wanted, he'd been attracting more attention with his appearance. It was difficult enough getting through the initial recruitment what with him having to lie about his age and provide a new backstory, and to top it all off, he was still being stared at. Nibelheim had taught him to be wary of stares, and the habit was very hard to break. Sephiroth continued to tense as he reported for hand-to-hand training, feeling as though he would snap if it didn't stop soon.

Control, he had to keep himself under control. A mere grunt couldn't do a single thing. He had no influence whatsoever yet. That constant reminder didn't help too much, but it forced him to remember his goal.

* * *

4 August 1985

Cloud stared wistfully up at Tifa's window, keeping his hands at his sides. He'd been invited into her home only once along with her friends, but it had made his entire week.

Sephiroth rarely contacted him anymore. Every time the boy got a chance to talk to him, Sephiroth always sounded...tired. Cloud wanted to interact more with his friend – he truly did, especially since Tifa and her friends weren't as inviting.

But it seemed that something was wrong. Cloud looked down at his feet, his neutral expression turning into a frown. He looked up again when he heard a door open.

Tifa was looking down as she walked out of her house, appearing sullen. Her friends followed her. Cloud waited for a minute before trailing after them, taking care not to get uncomfortably close.

One of Tifa's friends turned around and gave him an ugly look but said nothing. The other began to say something to Tifa with a worried tone.

"Don't go, Tifa! It's too dangerous! Do you really think you'll see your mom there?"

Tifa didn't say a thing. She kept walking. Cloud immediately grew concerned. She wasn't trying to go up Mt. Nibel, was she?

The young girl wouldn't listen. She seemed to have been ignoring her friends. Cloud kept silent, unsure of what to do. He knew what he _had_ to do; he just didn't know how to convince Tifa to turn back. She was far more familiar with her friends than she was with him, that he could assume, so Cloud was sure that if they couldn't get her to stop, he wouldn't be able to, either.

Cloud kept following along, keeping his head down as his thoughts continued to scatter and leave him at a loss for what to try to say.

It was too soon when Tifa arrived at the foot of the mountain. It was too soon when she walked up the path.

It was too soon when her friends stopped their protesting and simply left running for home. Cloud refused to leave Tifa, however. He had to keep following her – he just _had_ to.

The girl finally made it to the bridge. It was here that Cloud spoke up.

"No!"

Tifa jumped. Cloud could see her trembling. He clenched his fists and grit his teeth.

Tifa looked at him sadly, looking like she wanted to cry.

"Mama is gone... If I climb up the mountain, maybe I'll see her again..."

Slowly, she turned around again and stepped onto the bridge. Cloud sucked in a breath. He didn't understand. What did she think she was trying to accomplish?

Tifa continued to walk. The bridge swayed a bit and creaked dangerously. The boy finally began to breathe again and followed after her. Any further into the mountain and she would risk running into a monster.

The old wood suddenly snapped under Tifa's feet. Screaming, she fell down. Cloud immediately sprinted after her, barely managing to grab her by the hand.

It made little difference, however. Tifa's weight and momentum brought the both of them down.

* * *

His body ached. But what hurt the most were his knees.

Cloud hissed, feeling his knees burn. He opened his eyes and grimaced at what he saw.

He'd skinned them. His knees were bleeding, and they burned even as a cold breeze flew by. Panting a bit, Cloud winced and tried to get to his feet.

Tifa lay near him, unmoving. Cloud hobbled over to her side, afraid. He shook her a bit, but received no response. The boy was about to try to pull her up when he heard a yell.

"Don't touch her!"

Cloud let Tifa go and looked towards the sound of the voice with wide eyes. It was one of the villagers. He angrily strode over towards the both of them. Cloud backed away, watching as the man lifted Tifa and tried to wake her.

No response again. The villager quickly set off towards home with Tifa still in his arms. Swallowing nervously, Cloud followed him, his legs wobbling from the pain. Every step hurt him, but he kept on, stopping only when he was near the town limits.

Mayor Lockheart gave him an ugly look and pointed an accusatory finger at him.

"Leave. Now."

Cloud stiffened in fear.

"My daughter is like this because of you! I don't want you near her ever again!"

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT!" Cloud screamed, wrenching his eyes closed. He felt a tear run slowly down his cheek. He opened his eyes when he heard somebody whisper in horror.

"Demon woman."

Mayor Lockheart was in front of the blond with his hand raised, as if he were about to strike the boy, but he was not looking at him.

Cloud turned around.

Jenova was much farther away from the town than Cloud was, yet her presence still seemed to petrify all of the villagers present. She approached them, standing behind Cloud and causing the villagers to back away. She appeared sickly again, with random streaks of black in her hair and she looked a little paler than how Cloud remembered her to be. Her eyes, however, looked a little less dull from what Cloud could recall. She held out her hand to Cloud in invitation.

Hesitantly, Cloud took the hand. He sniffed and looked back as he let Jenova take him away.

The looks he received in return didn't promise anything good.

Jenova lifted Cloud and held onto him with one arm. The boy began to protest here.

"I want my mom."

"It's about time you returned to us for a while," she said, her voice sounding scratchy. "You can return to that human later."

Cloud sniffed again. Seeing Kadaj was the last thing he wanted to do today. However, no matter how hard he pushed against Jenova, she refused to budge. He grew tired long before they reached the house at the peak.

* * *

5 August 1985

Agitated, Sephiroth went through his exercises, preparing for the hand-to-hand lesson that he had to relearn. He let his mind wander a bit, though some of his concentration was still focused on downplaying his abilities. He became aware of a melancholic feeling that did not come from him. Mentally, he reached towards it, coming into contact with Cloud.

_Hey. What's wrong?_

_I hurt myself. But Baba healed it yesterday._

_You're back with her again?_

_She made me. I wanted to go back with mom._

_I'll talk to her. How did you hurt yourself?_

Cloud hesitated. Then, _I wanted to help a friend. She fell down and I fell with her. So I got hurt._

Those humans again. Sephiroth's mood soured a bit.

_But... They blamed me. They said it was my fault she fell. She hasn't woken up. It's not my fault. I only wanted to help._

Sephiroth bitterly said the only thing he could.

_You shouldn't have done that._

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2014年5月30日（金）

Finished: 2014年8月19日（火）

When owner and doll are separated, there is no guarantee that the doll will be perfectly safe.

I'm disappointed in myself, honestly. This is getting ridiculous. Hell, there were crap-tons more updates for this fic last year than there were this year. I'm very sorry, guys. I'll do my best to update this more. I missed this story so much, too, you don't even know. But writing started to feel like a bit of a chore until yesterday. It was going well, and then the commission I ordered was finished.

Needless to say, **I love it**. Just look at it!

  
[ ](http://xcd123.deviantart.com/art/Commission-Sephiroth-Cloudstrife-476542121)   


It's a literal interpretation of what Seph and Cloud are (and will be more like eventually), but still. I nearly started screeching like a dying cat after seeing it. ;w; So beautiful. [XcD123](http://www.xcd123.deviantart.com/), the artist, has many thanks from me.

Okay, dying cat is a terrible way to say it, but yeah. I squee'd very, very hard.

Next chapter: a new canonical character is introduced, and things steadily get worse for dolly.


	39. Chapter 39

6 August 1985

Cloud rummaged through Sephiroth's desk, having nothing else to do for the moment. He was careful, shuffling through the forgotten papers slowly. He spread a few of them out on top of the cluttered desk, taking a good look at them.

Most of the papers were old drawings and sketches, very few of them fully completed. Dragons and strange monsters which Cloud had never seen before were there, roughly and messily drawn on the yellowed pages. The boy couldn't comprehend how Sephiroth would do it. From what he remembered of the rare times when his friend would draw while Cloud was awake, Sephiroth only scribbled all over the paper and it somehow turned into whatever it was that the silver-haired man wanted it to be.

Feeling his heartache grow, Cloud carefully put the papers back, not able to look anymore after seeing the illustrations Sephiroth had allowed him to color back then. The badly colored chocobos and backgrounds made him wish for older times.

Just about everything reminded him about Sephiroth. Cloud didn't think he'd ever be able to get over it.

The boy climbed onto Sephiroth's bed and lay there, facing the wall.

It wasn't his fault. His mother being taken away from him wasn't his fault. Sephiroth leaving wasn't his fault. Tifa falling wasn't his fault. Nothing was his fault. Nothing.

But...what if it was his fault? What if, somehow, he'd been the cause for all that?

No, it couldn't be. He'd done nothing wrong. Cloud threw the blankets over himself and curled up.

 _I didn't do anything_ , Cloud reminded himself. But he still felt some self-doubt.

* * *

"Come to take him back, did you? It's a little late for that."

Jenova looked down at the human from where she sat on her perch, Kadaj by her side. She knew her son's feelings towards the matter very well, but she was not going to change her mind. Cloud had stayed with that human long enough.

The human looked at her, displeasure obvious on its features. "Why did you take him? I want my son back."

"Remember our Deal," was all Jenova said. She inwardly sneered at the wince from the human.

The human kept silent, but it refused to leave. Boldly, it went forward, towards the house.

Slightly annoyed now, Jenova followed, quickly gaining on the human and walking right behind it, breaching its personal space. She could feel the discomfort emanating from it, and that gave her a small feeling of satisfaction.

"You said you'd let me see him every once in a while," the human said quietly.

"And so I did. He's been staying with you at your home for quite a while, no?"

The human stopped walking and shook its head.

"It wasn't enough."

"It's never enough," Jenova agreed, not bothering to move away to give the human some space. "But it is what we agreed on."

The human kept silent. Then it moved forward again.

 _Just let her take the damn thing,_ Kadaj grumbled.

 _Hush_.

Jenova's patience was very thin compared to how it normally was. She grasped the human by the arm, instantly tightening her grip.

"You want to see him, do you? You want to go up there? I'll take you."

Jenova forcefully dragged the human behind her, feeling resistance. Kadaj looked on as he followed, confusion dominating his expression.

 _Distract the boy_ , Jenova ordered briskly.

_Mother, what—_

_Just do it. Don't let him become aware of anything._

With a small scowl, Kadaj sped ahead, soon leaving Jenova's direct line of sight. Tugging a little harder, Jenova kept on, however, she walked slowly to buy time.

The human was much less eager to go to the house now.

* * *

Sephiroth stared off into space with crossed arms as he waited his turn to enter the examination room for the routinely check-ups. The waiting frustrated him to no end, as did being poked, prodded, and scrutinized by the doctors.

The door opened and the line moved up by one person, leaving two people in front of Sephiroth. The individual who left rubbed his right arm seemingly unconsciously as he slowly walked out of sight. The silver-haired man swayed a bit in his spot, planning out his schedule to take his mind off of the wait.

Eventually, the line moved up by one person again. Instead of feeling relieved, Sephiroth only became a little more irritated.

Finally, _finally_ it was his turn. The long-haired man stiffly walked inside the room, keeping his arms at his sides. Boredly, but without any form of protest, he let the doctors do their job and examine what they would in a typical session. Once they were finished, however, he wasn't dismissed as usual.

Another man in a lab coat came in. He pushed his glasses up, glancing away from his clipboard to look at Sephiroth. The black-haired man's lips curled into a sneer, and it was then that Sephiroth immediately sensed that something about him was...off.

It was an understatement. The man came closer, his ponytail staying in place possibly due to the amount of grease in his hair.

Sephiroth did not like that man. He'd only seen him for a couple of seconds, but he knew for sure this particular human went from "ignore", where generally everybody Sephiroth came across fell into, to "avoid at all costs if possible" in his book.

"Professor Hojo," the man introduced himself curtly. "I see you are Sephiroth, yes?"

The long-haired man didn't answer.

"Hmph." Hojo took another look at the clipboard, eyes roving over the papers there. "Excellent marks in training and health. Good physique. Mental health...questionable. That aside, I am positive you can be exposed to Mako."

Mako... The blood of the Planet in a poisonous form. Sephiroth stiffened again, slightly tense.

"Your progress over the next month will be monitored," Hojo went on, ignoring the silence. "Consider yourself lucky for favorable results already." He idly waved a hand towards the exit. "You may leave now."

Sephiroth stood up from his seat, moving a little more quickly than he would have liked towards the door.

"One more thing."

Sephiroth stopped, but did not turn.

"You seem familiar..."

"I am sure it's just a coincidence," Sephiroth said briskly. Without allowing Hojo another chance to speak, he left.

* * *

Mrs. Strife tried to push again, her bonds refusing to let her move. She could feel her air supply waning, and it only caused her more stress. The ground beneath her was uncomfortable to say the least, and the gag in her mouth only served to bring her even more discomfort.

Exhausted, the blonde stopped her struggling. She froze when she heard footsteps above her.

The heavy-sounding strides on the floorboards passed over her, and much quieter ones were close by.

"Stop following me," Mrs. Strife heard a muffled voice snap.

"I'm not," another voiced replied in annoyance.

Mrs. Strife's heart beat faster. It was Cloud. He was here, safe. She strained her eyes, trying to hear more.

"Go back down into that hellhole where you belong. Nobody wants you here."

Kadaj, Mrs. Strife realized with horror.

"I don't want to be here, either," Cloud grumbled. "I want my mom back."

"Oh really? But she doesn't want _you_."

"You're lying."

"Am I? Then why hasn't she come for you?"

Mrs. Strife's eyes began to burn.

"Exactly," Kadaj said when Cloud didn't respond. "She doesn't care. She doesn't love you."

Fighting again, Mrs. Strife began to yell. But, as the tears fell, she knew it was futile. She couldn't help her boy no matter how desperately she wanted to.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2014年9月1日（月）

Finished: 2014年9月13日（土）

If I were to describe Sephiroth's art style, it would resemble something like [this](http://abz-j-harding.deviantart.com/art/Untitledly-Twisted-419168238) or [this](http://ex-soldier-cloud.deviantart.com/art/Side-by-Side-View-of-Old-and-New-292376805). Done completely in pencil, though.

Right when I promised to try to update faster, real life decided to hit me with everything. I'm so sorry. I'm sure this is all starting to sound like lame excuses by now.

So, FFNet resent the email for Chapter 38. Good, good; I hadn't expected it to do that. I will still be posting on FFNet, however, the more explicit parts will either be implied or not present at all. I really do not want to risk getting booted from the site even if I don't like it much anymore. Also, I only ever get on FFNet to post chapters. If anybody wants to contact me there for whatever reason, I suggest doing it somewhere else, preferably on a site I tend to be on a lot. (Links are on my profile.)

Now whoever's reading it on AO3, lucky you! You get the originals, plus some random little illustrations from time to time. :P But can anybody please spread it around on there? I'd like to get the views back...

Everything in general from me will be slow until things happening IRL clear up. But know that I haven't forgotten about this. I'm trying to get back into writing this fic though it hasn't been easy lately.

Next chapter: Tifa awakes from the coma.

On a random note, good ol' original Hojo.

Just lose the weird fish lips and we're even better.


	40. Chapter 40

11 August 1985

Mrs. Strife sat outside her porch, drinking her tea to help calm her nerves. The cool wind was silent, though the breeze was still there. Her right hand unconsciously trembled, the shaking growing in intensity as she used her other hand to adjust the collar of her sweater.

Two days. She had spent two days under the cold, dark floorboards. Two days of listening to what went on in the house. Two days of laying stiffly, two days living with little air, no food, and no water.

The blonde woman still hadn't entirely recovered. She didn't know how she'd even survived.

Before she could think any more on the matter or on her son, two people began to walk in her direction. No, she realized, not towards her. They were going next door.

Leaning to the side and craning her neck, she tried to peek. The two villagers approached the Lockheart home, knocked on the door, and were immediately ushered inside. Mrs. Strife was unable to recognize either of them, and that only further ignited her curiosity.

Trying not to appear too interested, Mrs. Strife sat back in her chair, drinking her tea again.

She didn't have to wait very long. Very soon, she heard exclamations coming from inside the Lockheart house, and the Mayor rushed outside, making his way to a neighbor's home. Then and there, the commotion grew. The word began to spread, slowly at first, then quicker, like wildfire.

Tifa was awake. Relieved, but only somewhat, Mrs. Strife relaxed a little, her thoughts returning to Cloud again. Tifa was safe now, and Mrs. Strife was happy for her only living parent, but—

"That demon boy didn't get her this time," Mrs. Strife overheard suddenly.

Demon boy? Cloud?

The mayor turned and finally acknowledged Mrs. Strife. "You better keep a close eye on that boy of yours."

Mrs. Strife unconciously tightened her hands around her tea cup and said, "Cloud had nothing to do with this."

"He was taking her to the mountain," Lockheart said accusingly. "Pherson's and Dawkins's boys were there."

"Then why are you blaming Cloud for everything? If they were there, and he was there, and you're blaming somebody, why can't you blame them, too?" Mrs. Strife argued.

"They haven't been cursed by those demons, Strife," Lockheart said with contempt. "Your family has been cursed since the day you joined that Demon Woman's side."

Mrs. Strife's usually never-ending patience with the major was quickly running thin. She was beyond tired of Nibelheim's very old-fashioned and close-minded ideals. Carefully doing her best not to offend the other man, the blonde said, "I never joined any sides. I needed help, and she was the only one who would help me. I did it for the sake of my son, and I had no other choice."

The major would have none of it. "Keep your demon boy away from my daughter. I don't want to see him near her ever again." He turned his attention away from Mrs. Strife and entered his home.

The blonde pursed her lips. So Cloud had been on Mt. Nibel first... Mrs. Strife didn't know exactly how to react. On one hand, she was more worried. She had absolutely no time at all to check if Cloud was hurt before Jenova whisked him away. On the other hand, in a way, Jenova had helped...somewhat. Even so, whether Cloud was on the mountain or in the town, nothing had changed. Her son was still with Jenova's family. Frustrated now, Mrs. Strife took a deep breath, trying to calm down and keep the wave of tears from coming out.

She hated it. She really did. There were many times where she wished for a normal life for both her and Cloud. This was no exception.

* * *

29 August 1985

Cloud roamed about outside of the house, not straying too far. Numerous failed escape attempts quickly taught him that Jenova always remained vigilant. The boy dragged his stick across the rocks.

Sephiroth had not spoken to him since the incident, and Cloud was beginning to lose hope in getting back to his mother. The boy gradually became more lonely and depressed. He had nobody to talk to or confide in anymore. Kadaj's taunts were getting to him, and he couldn't try to be strong and brush them off.

He was tired. He wanted to go home. His real home.

The boy tightened his hold around the stick and picked it up so it was no longer dragging. He looked at it with disinterest, jumping when he suddenly felt a nudge from behind.

Turning around, Cloud found himself facing Jenova. By this point, he couldn't really be surprised to see her anymore.

"Leave me alone," Cloud mumbled. He became irritated when Jenova did the exact opposite and instead invaded more of his personal space.

"You want to be one of them, don't you?" Jenova asked quietly. "One of the Shinra; a SOLDIER?"

Cloud stepped back and nodded, looking down at his feet.

"It is to see Sephiroth again, correct?"

The boy nodded again.

"How do you expect to get there?"

"...I don't know," Cloud mumbled.

"What was that?"

"I don't know," Cloud repeated, this time a little louder.

"Speak up. You can't expect to be heard this way."

"I. Don't. Know," Cloud said through clenched teeth, on the verge of yelling now.

"Better. If you honestly do not know, then how will you find out?"

Cloud didn't answer. He had no idea.

"I will tell you."

The boy looked up.

"You will not make it. You are weak. Insignificant in their eyes. You are unable to stand up to even the flies in the village. They are strong over there. Very strong compared to those here. I am telling you right now to get that silly dream out of your head."

Tears began to well up in Cloud's eyes. "No..." he said, his voice cracking. "You're wrong."

"So you say. Prove it."

Cloud sniffed, holding back his sobs. He had nothing he could say against Jenova.

Jenova kept silent as well. She wrenched Cloud's stick out of his hand and whipped his leg. The boy screamed, feeling the sting burn his thigh. He bent over and placed his hands over the hurting spot. Jenova then whacked him on the side, knocking the wind out of the boy.

Sobbing now, Cloud continued to scream as the woman struck him. He quickly tried to hobble away, heading downwards since nobody else would help him if he tried to run into the house, and cried out again as a foot kicked his lower back and propelled him forward.

"The Shinra is toxic. You are weak. You won't last a day in that horrid place."

Cloud could only whimper in pain and sniffle, aching everywhere as tears poured from his face.

She was wrong. Jenova was wrong.

* * *

17 October 1985

A small group of squads grouped up together, standing at attention next to the helicopter. Sephiroth held his standard-issue machine gun in the position commanded of him and the other infantrymen, also using that pose to hold onto Masamune.

His stomach churned with dread. The silver-haired man attempted to look around without turning his head, despising how much of his vision was obscured by the helmet all infantrymen were required to wear. He couldn't understand for the life of him see the point in wearing those helmets if they were dangerous for the soldiers. Not that he cared about the lives of the other men; he simply couldn't see the logic behind it. Shinra expected to win their wars and keep their army alive, didn't they?

Unwillingly, Sephiroth saluted along with the other soldier grunts, throwing the old, annoying thought out of his head. Ignoring the speech and pep talk, he put his right hand back on his gun when the salute was over, and, in an orderly fashion, marched behind along with his squad into their designated helicopter. The silver-haired man strapped himself into his seat, keeping his weapons on his lap. The helicopter's noise soon became deafening, and Sephiroth – who still wasn't completely used to so much noise at once – visibly cringed. Vaguely, he could feel himself moving upwards, though he couldn't pay attention due to the agony his ears were in. Thankfully, the others were also negatively affected by the racket, though Sephiroth hardly felt any better. He was no fan of pain whatsoever.

He lost track of time after a while. He was completely unsure on how long he was in that helicopter, on how long it took to finally arrive at Wutai. But he could no longer care anymore. Once his feet touched solid ground and that horrible noise was finally gone, he was happy. No, happy was not the way to describe it. As he shrugged his gun over his shoulder and kept his precious sword by his side, he found he really had no word to describe it. He was far from happy, but he certainly was feeling better.

Then came their meal and rest in their new living quarters. Four men had to share a small tent, much to Sephiroth's annoyance. He spent that night far more uncomfortably than any night he'd ever had, hating the idea and action of being so physically close with strangers.

The came morning, breakfast, and their instructions. Sephiroth's squad was to report to the west. There, they would stay at the defensive camp to provide reinforcements for the nearby Wutai fort. The journey there was fairly short. Though it gave Sephiroth time to study his surroundings (without that damn helmet on his head), he could not find much usable information. Wutai was completely foreign to him. He could not recall a single memory of the exotic land, though it was similar to the many forests he'd been in before. Even so, the creatures were different, and he found himself having to learn their behavior as he and the squad defended themselves and fought them off. Those, he discovered, were very, very different.

Arriving at their destination yielded no special fanfare. In fact, almost as soon as they got to camp, half of Sephiroth's squad was sent to the fort, Sephiroth included. Each soldier split off from the squad, going about their own ways to enter the fort. Cautiously, Sephiroth pressed himself against a stone wall, leaning forward to sneak a glance around the corner.

Shots fired in his direction, and Sephiroth quickly stood back to avoid injury. Suddenly, he heard a scream, but could not tell whether it was a soldier of Shinra or Wutai. Clenching his teeth and taking a deep breath, Sephiroth leaped around the corner and ran, hearing the rapid firing of bullets. Making it towards a Wutai soldier, Sephiroth jabbed the man's stomach and took his bayonet, tossing it out of reach.

One disarmed and coughing up blood, three more with their weapons aimed directly at him. He had to act fast.

In a situation where Sephiroth went armed, he never went anywhere without Masamune. Before being deployed, he had fought for the right to be able to take his sword with him, satisfied when he got his way. Here, he was four times as glad to have his beloved blade with him.

Throwing his gun aside, having absolutely no reason to use the useless thing, Sephiroth unsheathed Masamune, using its long reach to his advantage and catching the nearest Wutai soldier by surprise and slashing his thigh open. Sephiroth didn't give the others much time to react before he rushed towards them. One fled, but the other stood his ground. It didn't matter, anyway, as Sephiroth continued to run at an alarming speed, piercing one of the man's vital organs. Sephiroth quickly pulled the bloodied sword out, looking down at his handiwork after the man slumped over, dead. A Shinra grunt saw the action and snapped out of his trance long enough to signal the rest in. The entire squad ran past Sephiroth.

He'd done it. He had killed a human. It was far from his first.

But he had killed a man in the name of the enemy, to _help_ the enemy. Sephiroth was utterly sickened.

* * *

2 November 1985

Cloud slipped out of the house again, the afternoon sun shining brightly down on him as he continued to walk down the mountain, feeling relieved when nobody followed him. The boy managed to reach Nibelheim undisturbed, entering the town limits when the other villagers were out and about. He made his way towards his home, stopping when he heard a scream.

A girl, one he couldn't recognize, shouted, "It's the demon boy!" She picked up a rock, but her mother stopped her from throwing it. A boy ran towards him, fists in the air, but, like the girl, he was stopped by his parents.

"Don't go near him!" the girl's mother scolded harshly.

"But mom, I was gonna beat him up!" the girl whined.

Beat him up? Why? Was it because of Tifa?

Tifa. She wasn't dead, was she? Quickly, Cloud scurried away, hearing more threats against him and receiving some of the ugliest looks he'd ever seen.

Jenova had been relentless in attacking him. To know the town hated him as well was almost enough to break him.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2014年11月8日（土）

Finished: 2014年12月22日（月）

Long time no see. Should I even apologize for the lateness anymore? It all seems like a bunch of excuses anyways. Even so, I'm sorry. I've had a bunch of issues going on, and another brush with the dreaded depression. It's been a few years since that's happened. Don't worry, it's all gone for now. It's just... It's been a trying few months. And the next few are only going to be harder.

Enough about me, I don't matter. Don't let me get you down anyways. :P I hope everyone has a safe and fun holiday. Don't hold your breath for the next chapter, but rest assured I won't give up on you guys.


	41. Chapter 41

12 October 1989

Cloud stuck one hand inside his pocket and held a stick over his shoulder with the other. He strut his way through the Nibel trail, heading down to town.

A sucker punch to the back of his leg caused him to stumble. Quickly, as he had learned to, he got back on his feet.

Kadaj. Cloud wasn't surprised at all anymore.

"What do you want?" the blond grumbled, in no mood for the other's attention-seeking.

"Don't be so rude, _little brother_. I'm just trying to say hello," Kadaj said, dragging his foot along the ground.

"What do you want?" Cloud repeated, ready to get into a defensive stance.

Kadaj smirked. "I'm only having fun here, little brother."

"Stop calling me that," Cloud snapped. He didn't try to hit Kadaj first. That's only what he wanted him to do. Quickly, he glanced about, catching sight of neither Loz nor Yazoo. He immediately redirected his focus back onto Kadaj, not wanting to take his eyes off of him for even a fraction of a second too long.

It didn't matter a whole lot. Kadaj rushed forward and knocked Cloud back. Reacting quickly, the blond swung his stick and managed to whack Kadaj on the side of his head.

Kadaj didn't even flinch. He held his fist in one hand and looked down at the blond with a sneer. He pulled his fist back, and Cloud closed his eyes and turned away, expecting the blow to land on his face.

Cloud cried out in agony as his stomach surged with pain. He rolled over onto his side, clutching at his stomach, when Kadaj got off.

Weakly, Cloud looked up, finding Kadaj with his stick over his shoulder.

"Thanks, little brother. I appreciate your gift," Kadaj said with a grin.

"You got what you wanted," Cloud wheezed. "Now get out of my sight." The blond cried out again as Kadaj gave him a swift kick to the leg.

"Fuck off, you miserable little shit," Kadaj muttered. "Go home and cry to your mother." He turned around and set off for his home.

The blond held his tongue and waited until Kadaj was out of sight before he stood up, leaning on a large rock for support. Panting weakly and feeling sick, the blond rested there for a few moments before continuing his journey down.

* * *

He managed to recover, for the most part, by the time he reached his mother's house. Cloud's stomach still ached with the force of the punch, but it was easily bearable. Staying outside a little longer, the blond tried to compose himself as best as he could before he opened the door and went inside.

His mother greeted him eagerly, as she always did. She strode over to the blond and reached in for a hug, pausing when she felt her son stiffen and saw him grimace.

"It's nothing," Cloud said quickly. "I'm fine."

Mrs. Strife would have none of it. She lifted Cloud's shirt a little and winced at the bruise she found.

"Kadaj?" she asked, looking up at Cloud's face.

The boy nodded.

Mrs. Strife sighed.

"I didn't do anything," Cloud protested. "He came up to me out of nowhere and punched me."

"I'm not saying you did anything," Mrs. Strife said, letting Cloud's shirt fall before walking to the freezer to pull out an ice pack. "I'm upset he laid a bad hand on you in the first place. I don't like to see you getting hurt. Stay with me for a while."

Cloud took the ice pack from his mother when she handed it to him. He hissed as the cold came into contact with his bruised, sensitive skin. "I think I will," he said, heading over to a chair and sitting down. "He didn't hit hard today," Cloud added casually as an afterthought.

Mrs. Strife went to the stove and stirred the contents in a pot. She shook her head slowly, obviously not approving of the situation at all no matter how it was looked at.

Cloud took slow breaths, trying to disturb his bruise as little as possible. Soon, the area on his stomach the ice pack touched became a little numb. The blond slumped in his seat and sighed.

Mrs. Strife perked up suddenly. "Stir the soup, dear. I forgot to bring the paper in." She crossed her arms when she heard Cloud sigh. "Don't give me that."

"Nothing ever happens around here. What's the point?"

"Just stir the soup for a couple of minutes. Please?"

Wordlessly, Cloud stood up and made his way to the stove, grabbing the ladle and stirring slowly. His mother left, then returned, just as quickly as she'd promised. Cloud heard the crinkling of paper and stopped stirring, expecting his mother to come and take over.

When nothing happened, the blond turned and looked, finding his mother staring at the front page. He saw a strange look on her face.

"What's wrong?"

Mrs. Strife didn't reply to the question. Instead, she turned the paper around and handed it to Cloud.

He stopped breathing for a few seconds as he saw a grainy photo of Sephiroth taking up the entire page.

* * *

His plan to stay at his mother's home that night was scrapped. He didn't care if Kadaj was always there and ready to beat him up at any time, he needed to know.

If there was a headline on the newspaper, then surely it was featured on television as well?

Cloud sat on the couch getting up only to kill time between commercials. He often stood up to turn the dial and flip between channels, checking different ones in hopes of finding any kind of mention of SOLDIER or Shinra in general.

Finally, after waiting for what felt like hours straight, he had it. He stepped back from the TV, threw himself back on the couch, and stared.

He paid little attention to the voice-over given by the reporter, instead focusing on how the camera rotated in a haphazard manner to capture the action. The scene was surprisingly calm, given the Wutai war was still raging on, and the SOLDIERs seemed somewhat at ease, yet still alert in what Cloud assumed was their camp.

Like before, with the newspaper, Cloud held his breath when he caught a glimpse of silver. His heart ran, and his body went rigid at the sight of his old friend.

Sephiroth eyed the camera with disdain, the TV broadcasting the brilliant blue-green of his eyes and displaying it far better than any black-and-white newspaper ever could. His smooth movements as he walked away and went out of sight entranced Cloud. How he'd missed his best friend so!

Something stirred in his stomach, and he immediately felt strange. The blond shifted in his seat, then looked down.

His body was acting weird. He'd never had this feeling before. He flushed, and stood up, the feeling only intensifying. Quickly, he ran up the stairs and into Sephiroth's room.

What was going on? He didn't even know how to describe how or what he felt. It seemed that only his lower half was affected, so he took his pants off to investigate.

When he found his penis standing up and not limp like it usually was, he was even more confused. He didn't know what it meant. He didn't know _why_ it was happening.

Carefully, he directed his hand and wrapped it around his cock, shuddering at his own touch. The feeling intensified, and almost immediately, it turned into an urge. He began to stroke, feeling alien sensations overcome him. His breathing grew heavier, and he began to pant. Memories of Sephiroth began to flood back into his mind.

His hair. His eyes. Those strong arms that held him so long ago, that man who would spend his entire day with him as a boy. Cloud lay on his side on the bed, managing to smell the familiar scent which luckily never went away. With all that, longing came, more intense than what he remembered.

A tiny bit of liquid leaked out from his urethra. The blond used a finger to gather it, and he raised his hand to his face to inspect it. He sniffed the white fluid, smelling nothing but musk. He put his finger in his mouth and licked, immediately gagging and recoiling at the disgusting taste.

Was this a result from seeing Sephiroth again, even if it was only through a TV screen? It couldn't be a sign that he missed the other man. He'd been missing him since he was eight years old. Now, at fourteen, what was different?

As Cloud continued to touch himself, he felt a pressure in his stomach get tighter and tighter. He grit his teeth and closed his eyes, afraid, but he gave in to that pressure, and suddenly it was gone and he was left exhausted.

Opening his eyes, Cloud found more of the white fluid on his hand, and he was suddenly overcome by the thought that what he'd done was dirty. He had no idea why, but it just seemed...wrong.

Standing up, Cloud put his pants back on and rushed to the bathroom to wash his hands.

He couldn't tell anybody about this. Nobody.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2015年1月8日（木）

Finished: 2015年1月18日（土）

Uploaded: 2015年1月20日（火）

It begins.


	42. Chapter 42

18 November 1989

The blond sat on the toilet seat, shivering. He looked at the bathtub and watched as it filled up with hot water. Soon, steam rose and filled part of the bathroom, but Cloud wasn't getting any warmer. The blond waited for the tub to fill up a little more before he took his clothes off. Automatically, he looked down at his penis.

It wasn't erect, which he was glad for. Cloud pushed the thought out of his mind as he tested the water, but he couldn't stop himself from thinking about it again.

It had been happening a lot since that first day. Cloud still didn't understand what it meant, other than those dreams and daydreams about Sephiroth had something to do with it. It was obvious _why_ his penis became rock hard after his little...fantasies; what he didn't know was why those thoughts haunted him in the first place, especially so often.

The blond idly scratched at his pubic hair, though he wasn't itchy. He pulled his hand away when he began to feel that familiar stirring. Quickly, Cloud turned the water off and carefully stepped inside the tub before sitting down. The blond shuddered at the sudden warmth and laid back, relaxing. He put a plastic cup into the water, filled it up, and used the cup to rinse himself, putting the cup aside once he was completely wet. The blond then sat up and poured some shampoo into his hand before washing his hair.

He lathered his hair and let his mind wander. It wasn't very long before his thoughts veered into dangerous territory and _It_ happened again.

Cloud looked away from...It and finished working on his hair before rinsing it. He contemplated leaving the bath afterwards, but ultimately decided to wash his body as well, feeling he was too dirty to go without the extra wash. He started scrubbing his stomach, moving upwards and cleaning his chest, arms, and shoulders. The blond looked down again and tentatively washed his legs, avoiding his crotch area before he reluctantly washed himself there. He did a quick job, and he knew he wasn't being thorough enough, but he didn't care. He rinsed all of the soap off and drained the tub before standing up and grabbing a towel. He quickly dried himself off before putting on some sleep clothes and getting into bed.

His erection refused to leave him. He rolled over onto his stomach to see if that would help, but it did nothing. If anything, the pressure was worse now.

Giving up, Cloud rolled onto his back and slipped his hand down his pants. He gave himself a few small touches before he pulled his erection out and gripped it. He squeezed the base for a moment before starting a rhythm of quick, fast jerks, just how he found out he'd liked it.

Cloud panted and moaned softly, trying to finish himself off as quickly as possible. He was so close...

The blond's heart nearly stopped when he heard the door creak open. Freezing, with a hand still on his cock, he looked with wide eyes over at the door.

Yazoo gave him a deadpan look and shut the door. Cloud felt himself heat up. He quickly pulled his pants up before sitting up and facing the wall. He covered his face.

The blond silently cursed himself for not being more careful. He was on fire with embarrassment and was terrified. Now that Yazoo had found out, what would he do? Would he tell the others? If Kadaj were to know, he'd surely hold it over Cloud's head for the rest of his life. He had no idea what Loz and Jenova would do, but if word spread to his mother...

His mother. Cloud was absolutely terrified at the idea of her knowing even a hint of what he'd been doing.

Cloud grabbed onto his hair tightly, having something akin to a panic attack as worries continued to plague his mind. He jolted violently when something hit the back of his head.

The blond didn't turn but instead felt for the object, pulling it onto his lap.

It was a magazine. Cloud flipped it open, then dropped it again when he caught a glimpse of naked women in...certain positions. Doing...things. He pushed the magazine away and turned around.

Yazoo gave him a long look before he shut the door. Cloud's eyes nearly burned a hole in the wood before he finally looked down at his lap. He pulled the magazine towards him again and began to study it, feeling his body heat up again.

* * *

20 November 1989

He was back in town once again. This time, to take his mind off things, the blond went out after lunch. He pushed the other day's events out of his head and sat under the tower of the Nibelheim well, glancing at Tifa's house.

He had to make it up to her. Going back inside, Cloud grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil and scrawled a quick note before folding it up neatly and coming back out.

He looked at the note, then up at Tifa's house, then back to the note. Suddenly, he found himself at a loss for how he should deliver it.

Cloud sat back under the tower again for a moment and tried to think. He stood up and began to pace for a good few minutes.

The afternoon sun shone down on the town, though it was more chilly than warm, especially under the shade. It was a good day to be outside, Cloud figured as he got distracted from his current problem for a bit.

Much to his luck, Tifa came out of her house. She took a few steps, looking down with melancholy at the ground, before she noticed the blond. Immediately she appeared wary, and then surprised, as Cloud came forward quickly. Shyly, the blond stretched out his arm to hand her the note, and his heart beat quickly.

Tifa took the note. Cloud quickly shuffled away before anybody could catch the two of them together and go after him. He walked past the town's gates and stood there to somewhat hide by himself and think about his message. He angsted over it, wondering if it was good enough, or if he actually ended up doing something wrong and Tifa would somehow take offense. He then began to berate himself. He should have spent more time thinking and writing the note than finding out a way to deliver it.

But it didn't matter. He'd find out for sure whether his quick writing was sufficient tomorrow.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2015年3月16日（月）

Finished: 2015年4月30日（木）

Ahaaa, such a long time to wait for a short chapter... A few weeks actually passed by where I couldn't even look at the document, though. So many things were going on and I had tons of stuff to catch up on and attend to. But the worst is over and I should have time for more writing. Whether it actually happens or not remains to be seen. :P Curse you, motivation! But it sure is great to be back. I miss updating. I really can't thank anybody enough for putting up with me... Your feedback and the growing amounts of views, follows, and faves even after so long with no updates always make my day. ;~;

Next chapter: If you've played the original game or at least know most of the story, you can probably already guess.


	43. Chapter 43

21 November 1989

Cloud stood on tiptoe atop the water tower, leaning over the edge of the well and looking inside. The stars in the night sky reflected nicely onto the water, and he was mesmerized by the sight. He shivered and sat back down on the edge of the tower, clutching at his arms for warmth.

He lost track of how long he had been waiting. He crossed his arms and sighed, frustrated and defeated. He swung his legs, staring down where his black shirt covered his dark green shorts.

His ears caught the sound of footsteps. Not turning his head, he continued to listen, hearing the cause of the noise coming closer and climbing up the tower.

"Sorry I'm late," he heard a voice say softly. Again he heard the footsteps. From the corner of his eye, he could see Tifa sitting down close to him. He did a double-take when he caught a glimpse of a bright-colored fabric.

She was wearing a short summer dress which was a very light shade of green and matching shoes with low heels. Cloud turned away and stared ahead into space to hide his confused expression.

"You said you wanted to talk to me about something?" Tifa half asked, half stated.

Still looking down, Cloud mumbled, "I'm sorry."

"Huh?"

"I said I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"For making you fall."

"You were there?"

"...yeah."

"I didn't notice."

The silence came suddenly, creating an awkward and slightly uncomfortable tension. The blond could not believe it. He almost refused to. But deep down, he knew it was true. He'd suspected he was invisible to Tifa, but he had been constantly hoping the opposite after that one day, many years ago.

After a while, Cloud tilted his head up a little to look at the night sky and quickly gathered his thoughts. He took a breath and said, "Come this spring, I'm leaving this town for Midgar."

"...all boys are leaving this town," Tifa remarked, as if it was common knowledge.

Cloud swallowed his disappointment at his failure to impress. He then shook his head slowly. "But I'm different from all of them. I'm not just going to find a job." He stood up again, this time to make his next point come across better.

"I want to join SOLDIER."

Tifa looked at her feet with a neutral expression.

Not discouraged by her apparent disinterest, Cloud continued with growing excitement, "I'm going to be the best there is, just like Sephiroth!"

His heart fluttered at the mention of the silver-haired man's name. He was hit by nostalgia and the yearning desire to see his best friend again.

"Sephiroth... The Great Sephiroth," Tifa said lowly, almost to herself.

Feeling good again for the time being, Cloud walked around and climbed up to where he could rest his elbows on the edge of the well. He pushed himself up, and, carefully, spread his arms to keep his balance on the small spot. He smiled and nodded, paying no mind to the cold air or to the fact that Tifa wasn't even looking at him.

"Isn't it hard to join SOLDIER?"

Cloud nodded again, getting serious this time. His mood also dropped a little as he began to really think about it again.

"...I probably won't be able to come back to this town for a while," he said, looking down at his reflection in the water.

Tifa giggled.

"What?" Cloud asked, slightly offended.

"Will you be in the newspapers if you do well?"

Cloud nearly scoffed. He didn't care about the fame. All he wanted was to be by Sephiroth's side again. If he could work with the man and complete Shinra's missions... That was his real goal in life, if only for the moment.

Having no real way to explain his thoughts and not wanting to, Cloud simply said, "I'll try."

"Hey, why don't we make a promise?" Tifa turned around to look at Cloud.

Cloud didn't answer. He did not expect that at all.

"Umm, if you ever get really famous and I'm ever in a bind..." Tifa continued anyways, "you come save me, alright?"

"What?" Cloud blurted with disbelief.

"Whenever I'm in trouble, my hero will come and rescue me," Tifa said, a dreamy tone creeping into her voice. "I want to experience that at least once."

"What?" Cloud repeated. He got down from the well. He could not believe what Tifa was saying. She wasn't serious, was she?

"Come on!" Tifa said loudly, almost demandingly. "Promise me!"

She was. Cloud was tempted to immediately say no, but he held his tongue. Reluctantly, he said, "Alright. I promise."

Tifa stood up, a huge grin on her face. She approached Cloud shyly, looking him right in the eyes.

"Well, it's getting late. Thank you for inviting me out here. I had fun, but I need to go home now."

"Yeah," Cloud muttered, wondering just what he got himself into. "Sure..."

Tifa smiled at him again. "I'll see you soon. Bye." She walked past the blond and climbed down the well, heading to her home.

Cloud looked at the stars again, his thoughts returning to Sephiroth. Just as he wished yet again to see him again, he swore he saw a shooting star fly by.

* * *

17 January 1990

Normally, Cloud was one to walk away from fights. He was not fond of them at all and hated trouble. Since his extended stay with his mother, the boys of the town had taken an unwanted interest in him. He had no problem avoiding their jeers and attempts to fight. But this time, he really couldn't avoid it.

Almost reflexively, Cloud elbowed a boy in the stomach when he deliberately approached him from behind. He shuffled away quickly, using his skills earned from the many times he'd been physically attacked to his advantage.

The blond didn't stick around for very long before he took off for Mt. Nibel. He took a detour around the bridge and only slowed his pace when he lost sight of his chasers.

Scoffing at their cowardice, Cloud put his hands in his pockets and walked the rest of the way up the mountain. No sense in returning to town with so many of the inhabitants turning on him at once.

He wasn't quite sure what he did wrong, but fights between him and some of the boys around his age seemed to be breaking out more and more often lately. As he stepped into one of the caves close to Sephiroth's house, he wondered what Tifa thought of him and the fighting after that promise he'd had to make her.

"It has been some time since you have returned."

"Do you even care anymore?" Cloud asked rhetorically as he passed by Jenova.

"I am simply stating a fact."

"A very useless one," Cloud muttered under his breath. His skin crawled when he became aware of Jenova following so close behind him he had little personal space. He hated when she did that.

"Are you making trouble? Is that why you decided to return?"

"Trouble decided to find me and _force_ me to return, yeah." Cloud opened the door and entered the house, heading towards the stairs.

"Are you not glad I had taught you how to defend yourself?"

Cloud stopped on the first step. "What do you mean, taught? You haven't taught me anything. Ever."

"I am sure you remember quite clearly."

Cloud snorted. "You mean the times you and your kids would beat the hell out of me?"

"I prefer to call it training."

"Yeah? Well it was the worst excuse for training I had ever seen." Cloud clenched a fist.

"You will be grateful later. You plan to join the Shinra, yes? How could you expect to join in the past when you were so weak?"

The blond grit his teeth. "I don't appreciate your 'training.' It was terrible. It was _awful_."

"Awful and terrible, yes. But useful nonetheless."

Cloud shook his head. "Do you even know what that did to me? Do you even know at all? Look at it from _my_ view."

"When you see it through my eyes, you will understand."

Seething now, Cloud climbed up the stairs. There was no arguing with Jenova when she refused to see things another way.

Opening the door to Sephiroth's room, he froze when he saw Yazoo sitting on Sephiroth's bed.

The second eldest of the silver-haired brothers gave him an unreadable expression before standing to leave.

"It smells too much like you now," he said quietly as he left and walked into the darkness of the end of the hallway.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2015年5月1日（金）

Finished: That same day.

I'm just as surprised as you are for such a quick update. And only a day afterwards, to boot. Though to be honest, I cheated. A lot of the dialog from the first half of the chapter was taken from the original game and altered a bit to fit the AU. Expect a short delay for the next chapter. I have a few things to take care of before I can work on writing. It shouldn't take too long, though. ;)

If I can just confess something... I personally dislike Tifa partly because of the promise on the well scene. This version is slightly different from the original, but it still felt forced to me; it felt like Tifa really did force Cloud to make the promise. It didn't seem to me that Tifa really knew Cloud even existed until he decided to announce that he was going to join the army. Her not noticing Cloud when she fell off Mt. Nibel does not count at all, by the way. But the few interactions between them as "childhood friends" doesn't make that label very genuine.

Well, that was a bit too long. XD But meh, I'm not going to bash her. Not only is that pointless, it's annoying as all hell. If you really hate a character so much, consider not mentioning them more than necessary, if at all. Don't go out of your way to spew hate in a fic by torturing or otherwise attacking that character for no reason.

I'm gonna shut up for real now. The next chapter is one that many have been waiting for.


	44. Chapter 44

8 February 1990

Cloud was at his mother's house again, standing by the oven and trying to warm up. He lifted one leg, keeping it in the air to help warm his freezing toes. Mrs. Strife offered Cloud a blanket, and the blond accepted it eagerly, draping it over himself as he kept to the warm area surrounding the oven.

Mrs. Strife opened the oven to check on the cookies, closed it up, and put a small pot of milk on the stove top to heat up. Cloud continued to shiver and concentrate on staying warm while his mother stared into space with a contemplative expression.

"What's wrong?" Cloud asked after a short while, shivering considerably less than before.

Mrs. Strife rubbed her hands together and held them over the stove. "It's nothing to worry about. I just think it's time."

"Time for what?"

Mrs. Strife looked at her clasped hands for a few seconds as if gathering her thoughts. Then she began, "You're growing up fast, Cloud. So, so fast. You'll be a man soon."

"Oh, mom..." Cloud turned his head away and looked to the side.

"This is very important, Cloud. Lots of things are going to change in your life, but the most important one right now is puberty."

Cloud wasn't sure what that word meant, but it sounded embarrassing either way.

Mrs. Strife continued, "Now, this is going to be a bit difficult for me to tell you, but it's something you absolutely need to know."

The blond looked up to signal that he was listening.

"When we get to a certain age, our bodies start to become different." Mrs. Strife paused here to add a chocolate mix to the milk and check on the cookies again. As she stirred the milk, she said, "Hair starts to grow in places where it never was before."

Realization struck Cloud, but he retreated into embarrassment again. He suspected that things would only get worse from here on.

And they did. Mrs. Strife went on to explain that young men and women changed differently, and the first covered the female aspect of it. Cloud was far from cold by this point – he was burning up.

But it got _even_ worse. Cloud was absolutely mortified when she started talking about erections and male arousal. He shuffled away from the oven and threw the blanket onto one of the beds before sitting at the dinner table with his face in his hands.

Mrs. Strife pulled the cookies out of the oven and set them at the table to cool. She turned both the stove and the oven off and poured some of the hot chocolate into two mugs. She walked over to Cloud and offered him a mug, patting him on the back.

"I know it's embarrassing, dear. But if none of this has happened to you yet, it will. And you're going off into the army, all by yourself." Mrs. Strife sniffled. "You'll be in that big city, surrounded by lots of people..."

Cloud drank his hot chocolate when his mother suddenly went on to explain where babies come from. He choked through half the lecture.

"...so if you really want to, make sure there's consent on both your side and her side. And use protection. I cannot stress that enough," Mrs. Strife said.

Briefly, Cloud's thoughts drifted back to Sephiroth. "Does it have to be a her?"

"Well, no. But the same rules still apply." His mother sat down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder, redirecting his gaze to her. "Please, Cloud. Try not to have any relationships other than friends. I'm saying this for your own good. Having a girlfriend or a baby while you're in the military is a lot of extra work to keep up with."

Cloud nodded. "I understand, mom."

Mrs. Strife smiled and handed Cloud a cookie. The boy took it and munched on it.

He knew he was going to have a restless night with lots of thinking to do.

* * *

17 April 1990

Luck was on his side that week. Cloud managed to find a ride, and though the deadline was short, he managed to pack his clothes and essentials in time. He was tired, both from the long week of rushing to pack and from having to get up early the entire time, including today, but his apprehension managed to dominate it.

It was warm and muddy when Cloud opened the door and stepped out. He went back inside to hug his mother tightly, hearing her break out into sobs.

He hadn't imagined it would be this difficult to say goodbye. He struggled not to cry with her and told her he loved her.

"My boy..." Mrs. Strife said as she embraced her son. "My baby has grown so much..."

"I love you, mom," Cloud repeated.

"I love you, too. Be safe."

"I will." He let go and went outside again.

Cloud approached the truck, large pack in hand. He got into the back, along with a few other boys, and looked out, studying his hometown for the last time.

His mother still had tears running down her face. His heart clenched, but he could not drag out the goodbyes anymore. He'd made a choice, and now was the time to go through with it.

The blond sat down and made himself as comfortable as he could. He held onto his backpack tightly, keeping it out of the way of the other passengers who gave him small looks of suspicion and slight contempt but otherwise left him alone. Cloud jumped as the driver closed up the back of the truck, then scooted closer towards it. He felt the rumble and heard the roar of the old truck starting up, and again the weight of his decision hit him. It had felt like a dream before, but it felt more and more real as the seconds ticked by.

When the truck began to move, Cloud Strife watched as his old life slowly began to grow distant. He swore he could see Jenova, Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo waiting near the mountain.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2015年5月15日（金）

Finished: 2015年5月16日（土）

Oops, took a bit longer than expected. But I finally got my internet back yesterday and I think things have finally settled down here. I've moved far away from my old place, and so far I'm doing much better than before. It's on to greener pastures for me from now on. Quite literally, because it's a lot greener here than it was where I used to live. :P Hopefully this means quicker updates, but, like before, I won't promise anything just in case stuff happens.

Next chapter: Cloud in Midgar.


	45. Chapter 45

1 May 1990

It was very bright, yet very dark at the exact same time. He was in awe, but, more than that, he was intimidated. Along with the sheer size and newness of it all, he was also overwhelmed by how crowded Midgar was.

Cloud struggled to push and shove his way past the sea of people. He kept a tight grip onto his belongings, rushing to get into the Shinra building. Once inside, he was given a number and directed to a waiting room. The blond sat down in an empty chair, his breath hitching at the amount of people in the same room, more than likely signing up for the same thing.

The blond was hungry and tired as he waited in that room. He fidgeted a little, taking a look at the clock on the wall. He had a long hour to wait. Despite that, he felt a small twinge of nerves in the pit of his stomach. He was impatient, but he was dreading whatever was coming next.

Taking a small breath to calm himself down, Cloud pulled some papers out of his bag and read them over again.

He had the minimum weight and height requirements, that was for sure. However, those were the only requirements he knew he would definitely pass. Lack of a doctor who was available in cases other than emergencies and lack of an education outside of homeschooling put him at a severe disadvantage for the evaluations coming up in a couple of days. He chewed on his lower lip as doubt and a severe drop in confidence began to eat away at him. He read the paper over again, feeling more and more apprehensive. Then he folded it up and put it away.

He was here for Sephiroth. He'd gotten this far, and it was too late to give up now. Even if his body was a traitor, even if he wasn't good enough for the army, he couldn't go back. He left his old life behind for a reason.

Feeling slightly better now, the blond leaned back in his chair, grateful that it was a comfortable one. He continued to think calming thoughts and distract himself from heading into darker territory again as he waited for three o'clock to arrive.

He was never this bored in his entire life. He was horribly tempted to get up and _do something_ , and being confined to the chair did not help him. Fortunately, however, he didn't have long to wait until several men in army fatigues entered the room.

Cloud sat up straight, directing his full attention to the speakers.

"We thank you all for coming here today," the man in the center announced. He wore a dark red uniform, and his face was covered by a metal mask which reminded Cloud of helmets knights would wear in the stories his mother had read to him long ago.

"As you all must know," the man continued, "SOLDIER is not a game. It is not a joke. It is not a playground or an accessory for bragging rights." The man clenched his fist and held it over his chest. "I have poured gallons of sweat, blood, and tears into my work, and I am proud to say I am a Second Class SOLDIER as a result."

Quiet, awed whispers broke out among the audience. Cloud himself took a good look at the SOLDIER's outfit. Someday, he, too, would wear the same uniform.

"The road to SOLDIER is difficult. It is challenging. All of you will start from the very bottom and work your way to the top. Shinra is a place of equal opportunity. Where you will rank in the future is a matter of the choices you make and the effort you put in."

The SOLDIER then began to explain the recruitment process. First came the weighing and measuring. Then came the medical records and academic evaluation, which Cloud was very afraid of. At the mention of a quick review course before the tests, however, he became a little relieved. The odds were against him, but he still had a good chance.

After another pep talk, they were all dismissed. Cloud stood up and followed the other potential recruits into yet another waiting room, this time one in which each recruit was to enter by themselves. The blond was directed into his own room and weighed on the scale; then he had his height measured. The male nurse wrote the numbers down and Cloud asked Cloud about his medical history before the blond was dismissed yet again. On his way out, the young man saw a form for the review course and quickly signed up for it before leaving to his assigned quarters. Once there, Cloud was greeted with the sight of several bunk beds. Intrigued by the top bunks, the blond chose one and threw his pack onto it, claiming the bed for himself.

The blond took a look around and started to become a little nervous. Apprehension was catching up to him again, and now he felt all alone.

He jumped a little when he heard the door open and saw other recruits file in and claim their own beds. He stepped back awkwardly, trying to stay out of their ways. After a short moment, he couldn't help but start talking to the nearest person.

"Hi..."

Several stares met him. One guy had an amused smile on his face.

"Uh, hi," the boy Cloud had greeted said.

Cloud blanked out. He no longer knew what to say. He scratched the back of his head while he tried to think of something to start a conversation. Several recruits left after putting their belongings away.

"So, where are you from?"

Cloud blinked, then said, "Nibelheim."

"Where's that?"

Cloud pointed in a random direction behind him and said, "That way."

Nobody laughed. Cloud put his arm down.

One boy puffed out his chest and declared, "I'm from Midgar, born and raised."

Cloud looked at him with awe. "Really?"

"Yep. It's no big deal."

Another guy rolled his eyes. "Most of us are from Midgar. Where do you think you're at right now?"

Cloud frowned, but didn't answer.

Somebody laughed hysterically. A bell dinged, and everyone quickly shuffled out. Cloud looked at the clock.

Lunch time. He followed the other recruits, vowing to watch his words more carefully.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2015年6月16日（火）

Finished: That same day

I was inspired to do this right now because [HYPETY HYPETY HYPE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kznek1uNVsg)!


	46. Chapter 46

2 May 1990

A horn blasted from somewhere, forcing Cloud to jolt in shock and fear. He sat up and felt his heart racing in his chest. Someone yelled and fell out of bed, causing him to jump again. Rubbing his eyes, Cloud quickly got out of bed and grabbed his clothes to go change.

"What's the rush?" a boy snickered.

Cloud couldn't think of an answer. He simply ran into the bathroom, took a quick shower, changed into some of his best clothing, and then came out to stash his old clothes somewhere safe. He heard snickering being aimed at him, but he paid it no mind.

Was he late? It didn't feel like it was late in the day or morning, but was he wrong? Did everyone else not care, and did he oversleep with them?

Every second of his confusion scared him. It wasn't much of a stretch to say he was absolutely frightened. Cloud looked for his paper and checked the map before leaving the room. He swallowed and kept walking, looking down at the floor and the map until he found the place he was looking for. He finally moved his gaze upwards.

The lights were off inside. He jiggled the doorknob to test it. Locked. The blond looked around until he saw a clock.

He was early. Too early, in fact. Cloud sighed heavily in relief. He felt very light. He turned around to go back to the temporary barracks and heard crazy laughter.

"It's breakfast time," a recruit called. The others laughed more loudly at him. Mortified, Cloud huffed and trailed along behind them, staying away from the group to compose himself.

He was mostly forgotten about during breakfast, and he was all but ignored afterwards. When the other recruits finished their food, they scattered and went their own ways. Cloud ate slowly so his nerves couldn't sneak up on him and make him sick. While he was relieved that he wasn't late for the review course, he wasn't completely at ease yet. He didn't trust his stomach.

Despite all his worrying, he was still early when he walked back to the classroom. He took a deep breath and let it out. Midgar was too different. He hoped it wouldn't be the death of him.

After some time, someone came to the classroom and unlocked it. The older-looking man opened the door and gestured for Cloud to enter. The blond walked into a room full of desks arranged in rows. He picked one near the front and sat down.

It wasn't long after until other boys shuffled in and choose their own seats. Once everybody was settled, the instructor handed out thick packets to everybody. Cloud looked at the cover, then opened it up and found the table of contents.

 _General Science, Arithmetic Reasoning, Word Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension, Mathematics Knowledge, Electronics Information, Auto Information, Shop Information, Mechanical Comprehension, Assembling Objects,_ he read silently. Other than the science, reading, and math, he had absolutely no in-depth knowledge on the other subjects at all, if any. Cloud flipped to a random page in the Word Knowledge section and looked at the sample questions.

**_Antagonize_ ** _most nearly means_

**_A._ ** _embarrass._  
**_B._ ** _struggle._  
**_C._ ** _provoke.  
_ **_D._ ** _worship._

Was this it? Was this really it? This was nothing. He already knew the answer and he barely glanced at the answer choices. The other questions were very similar, although there were a few words here and there he'd never seen before.

The instructor cleared his throat and Cloud closed the packet.

"Good morning. I am Professor Lehr," he said. "First things first: if you look under your desk, you will find two pencils and scratch paper for notes. You will be solely responsible for your own note-taking. Is there anybody who has never taken any of the entrance exams, including the practice tests?"

Several recruits raised their hands. Relieved that he wasn't the only one, Cloud raised his hand as well.

"My, you have more pressure on yourselves," Professor Lehr remarked. "Not to worry, the way I teach should be understandable to everybody, even first-time test-takers. I am here to help you, but I can only take you so far. You will have to take it upon yourselves to take notes and study to succeed. Are there any questions?"

Nobody said anything. Cloud reached down to grab the paper and pencils.

"Good. Then we shall begin."

The next several hours consisted of complete and utter confusion, along with a few moments of actual realization and understanding. Cloud's mind was everywhere and nowhere at the same time when he was dismissed for a short break and lunch. He flexed the fingers of his right hand and rotated it several times to regain feeling in the limb. He was sure it was going to cramp today. The amount of notes he wrote down was unreal. The subjects which were the most troublesome for him where the automobile- and electrical-related ones; his common sense wasn't enough for him to even guess some of the answers. Assembling, however, looked very easy to do as well.

Cloud ate quickly before walking to a water fountain. He drank greedily until he felt refreshed, then returned to the classroom to sit down and look over his notes.

The course was over for the day after a few more hours. Cloud put his pencil down and took his papers with him as he walked back to the barracks. He yawned and rubbed his eyes with the back of his free hand. When he got to his bed, he sat down and began to study. After a few seconds, however, it was obvious he wasn't actually retaining anything he learned.

The blond stashed his notes away and pulled out a tiny notebook. He opened it up and felt a pang of homesickness.

The photographs of his mother which he taped into the pages peeked out at him. He touched one, and he felt a sudden urge to go home.

But no, he couldn't. He flipped to another page and found some pictures he clipped out of a few newspapers. The black and white photos of Sephiroth reminded him yet again why he had left his hometown. His conflicted heart wanted to go home, yet it wanted to see Sephiroth again, too – immediately.

A lowly grunt like him wouldn't be able to see Sephiroth in a million years. Not unless he was promoted. But he couldn't wait that long. Cloud wanted to see him _now_.

He sighed and put the miniature scrapbook away. Patience. He needed it now more than ever, it seemed. He hadn't even finished step one of his plan to make it into the infantry.

Thinking of home again, Cloud took out a blank piece of paper and a pen before starting to write.

_2/5/90_

_Dear Mom,_

_I made it through my first day! Midgar is huge and bright – nothing like Nibelheim. I have no idea how anybody could walk around here without getting lost. I didn't see much and I'm already overwhelmed. The Shinra building itself is probably bigger than all of Nibelheim is._

_So far, the only thing I've done is review for the entrance exam (it's really easy, by the way; a lot of the content in half the practice questions I've seen are things I've learned from you), so I haven't had any spare time for sightseeing. I miss you, and I miss home already. It's pathetic, isn't it? I haven't even made it past day one without wanting to come back._

_Well, tomorrow I will go to another review session, and then I will study and take the test the day after. I will let you know how I do once I get my results, or whenever I have time to write again. Hopefully, the next time you get a letter from me, you'll get one from an infantryman._

_Love you and miss you,_

_Cloud_

The blond put his pen down and was about to fold the letter up until he thought of something else. Hesitantly, he added another line.

_PS: Any news on the others? Have they said anything about me?_

The others. Cloud snorted. Calling Jenova's family "the others" was too kind. _But_ , he remembered, _they're Sephiroth's family, too_. He yawned and folded up the letter before carefully stuffing it into an envelope. He sealed the envelope and wrote his mother's address on the front. He began to write his name on the front of the envelope, then stopped.

He didn't know the address to this place. He stood up and walked out to ask somebody in a military uniform before coming back to write the information down on a both a different piece of paper and on the envelope. Then he left again to mail the letter before returning to bed.

Stretching, Cloud laid down and slipped under the covers. His brain still felt like mush. Closing his eyes, the blond thought of several automobile and electrical parts and their functions before finally drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2015年11月5日（木）

Finished: 2015年11月14日（土）

Uploaded: 2015年11月19日（木）

The entrance exam is based off of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test, which is a timed test everybody who is trying to get into the military must take and pass to get recruited here in the U.S. The sample question is one I copied and pasted from the [official website](http://www.official-asvab.com/).

Welp, I was profile hopping on FFNet the other week out of boredom, and I realized something. The site has been removing links from people's profile pages and only allowing "safe" links, like links on-site or links to Facebook. If you used HTML, the link will lead back to your own profile; if you just pasted a link, it'll be completely gone. On my own profile, I've had links to deviantART, Tumblr, LiveJournal, and even AO3 removed. Jealous, much, FFNet? I swear this site is trying to commit suicide nowadays.

Speaking of links, I made a side blog on Tumblr specifically for fics. I'll post any important news on there (so I won't be apologizing profusely almost every time I update, haaaaa) along with some teasers to any upcoming stuff. Hell, maybe I'll even entire fics on there. Link is jenova-cells.tumblr.com

By the way... A super, super, super long time ago, I had posted an author's note about danadess's fics on _Helter Skelter_ before I was forced to take the entire story down. I would like to give out a very big thank you to those who were kind and generous enough to give me a copy of _Promises_ and _Rebirth and Reunion_. If I already said thanks, then oops, but if I hadn't, then I'm genuinely sorry. Those fics meant a lot to me then, and they still do now. It always makes me happy to be able to reread them. So again, thank you so much. ;~;

I really wonder why danadess did choose to disappear, though...


	47. Chapter 47

4 May 1990

Oddly enough, he wasn't nervous like the past couple of days. On the contrary, Cloud was unusually calm.

With confidence, he followed the other recruits into the testing room and sat down in his assigned seat. He waited until the proctor finished reading the directions out loud, then picked up his pencil and began to read the questions when it was finally time to start.

He changed his mind several minutes in. The questions themselves were still ridiculously easy. The time constraints, however, made him rush and panic a little. He second-doubted himself on around a third of the questions, and, once he had to move onto another section, he worried over whether he correctly answered enough questions.

There was no room for failure. He told himself this repeatedly throughout the length of the test.

He felt burned out by the time the test was over. He sighed and rubbed his eyes as exhaustion set in full force. He waited for the proctor to collect his test, then left the room once he was dismissed.

One stressor down, only a few more to go. It was a waiting game now.

Feeling lighter, Cloud strolled through the hallways and into the cafeteria for a quick bite to eat. Despite his earlier doubts, he felt great. He smiled to himself as he fantasized how proud his mother would be in a few weeks.

 _And then...Sephiroth will be, too_ , he thought.

* * *

15 May 1990

She rolled her sleeves up and wiped the sweat off her sun shone brightly over the town, bathing the ground in warm light. However, it was not quite hot – there was a small breeze as well. She would have considered it a perfect day to be outside, but, since her Cloud had left the town, she always felt like something was missing.

 _Not quite a perfect day after all_ , Mrs. Strife thought, standing up and clapping her gloved hands to get the dirt off. She looked down at her garden with pride. Her plants were coming along nicely, all thanks to her hard work. She dusted her knees off, sighing at the amount of dirt and mud on her overalls. She'd need to wash them soon. She took her gloves off and stretched for a minute before putting a hand on her back. She sighed again, this time at the aches and pains in her body, and went inside to bathe.

Once she finished and dressed herself in something comfortable, she set a tea kettle on the stove and started on some of her daily chores. When the tea was done, she served herself a cup and took it outside, sitting in her rocking chair.

She sipped her drink, feeling the familiar loneliness set in. She gazed at nothing in particular, and her mind wandered, thinking back to memories of her husband, of Cloud. She couldn't recall the last time she'd ever been alone.

Then she remembered when Cloud had been taken from her. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been _completely_ alone.

A moving figure broke her out of her thoughts. She looked up, and, focusing on it, she found it was Yazoo. He was slowly walking towards her, taking his time until he stopped in front of her, a short distance away. He extended his arm towards her, holding out what looked like an envelope. He looked her in the eyes, saying nothing. Yazoo had always struck Mrs. Strife as odd, but now, something felt especially off about him.

"What is it?" Mrs. Strife asked eventually.

"For you, from Cloud," Yazoo said softly.

Mrs. Strife pursed her lips. "It was never delivered to me."

"Mother took it."

Mrs. Strife subtly tightened her hold on her tea cup. She said nothing, and instead reached forward to take the envelope.

It had been ripped open, albeit cleanly. She was angry, but decided not to show it. It was too late to do anything about it.

"How long did she have it?" She pulled the contents out.

"It arrived a couple of days ago."

 _Hm_ , Mrs. Strife thought. Now Jenova looking through her mail and taking it? She found it rude, to say the very least. The blonde woman unfolded one of the papers and read it, feeling her heart clench as she read it.

She missed her baby boy so much, it hurt. She held onto the letter and read through the other ones. The second note had odd, scratchy handwriting.

_We are well. Thank you for asking. I wish you much luck in your exams. Please pass our messages to Sephiroth. — Jenova_

Below that, there was a paragraph written in what Mrs. Strife assumed was a foreign language. She couldn't read or understand a thing. She moved on to the next note. It had the same strange lettering, but in different handwriting, and so did another letter. The last one, however, looked like nothing but chicken scratch. Mrs. Strife raised a brow. The letter was crudely written with a big marker on crumpled notepaper, a stark contrast to the neater papers Mrs. Strife had inspected.

"Can you read what this says?" She held the paper up.

"Yes."

"What does it say?"

" _Sefirot, ykt myr. Tagalo går._ _Traken nokt. Der, Los._ "

"What does that mean?"

"It means... _Sefirot, ykt myr. Tagalo går. Traken nokt. Der, Los_ ," he repeated.

"Tah-gah-low... gore?" Mrs. Strife stumbled over the pronunciation of the words she thought were the strangest. "What does that mean?"

" _Tagalo går ikt tagalo går_."

"Oh, you..." Mrs. Strife said, annoyed.

"It doesn't mean anything. You can look at them all you want, but please send them for us."

"Well..." Mrs. Strife hesitated for a short moment. "You don't have any way to contact Sephiroth? Are you sure he can understand these?"

"Yes, he can, and no, we don't. Not physically."

"Physically?"

"We miss him, and we just want to talk to him." Jenova's son looked at her with a tilted head and an aloof expression, but his eyes seemed to pierce hers.

"Alright..." Mrs. Strife said, after another moment of hesitation. "Is this all you want?"

"That is all." Yazoo turned around and left, moving behind a house and disappearing.

Mrs. Strife finished her tea to calm the nerves she didn't know were acting up and went inside. She reread Cloud's letter with a smile and began to write a reply.

* * *

28 May 1990

Today was finally the day. Cloud anxiously stood in line for his papers. He'd been nervous ever since a SOLDIER had announced that their scores and requirements were finished the day before. The blond couldn't help but imagine how well he did. He did well, right? Right? Of course he did; he studied so hard. But...what if he didn't?

Before he had time to stress himself up, it was finally his turn. He accepted the paper he was given and moved out of the way to look at his scores.

His height and weight were good. His doctor's records, however, were not good at all, as he feared. His test score...

90 out of 100. Cloud sighed in relief and smiled. He passed with flying colors, and it made him feel very warm on the inside. He then noticed the note written on the bottom right corner.

 _Report to the recruitment office immediately upon receiving this paper_.

Swallowing, Cloud obediently made his way to the room as instructed. There, he saw a woman hunched over her desk, scribbling furiously on a piece of paper.

"Name?" she asked without looking up or stopping.

"Cloud Strife."

"Ah, yes, the special case. You have done a remarkable job on your exam, as I'm sure you have seen." She put her pen down and looked up. "Have a seat, please"

The blond sat down on the chair in front of the desk.

"Everything on your records is perfect, except for your past schooling and your vaccinations. Typically, we do not accept home-schooled infantrymen unless they can provide proof that they have been taught the standard material Midgar teaches. However, because you did so well on your exam, we may be able to make an exception for you."

Cloud's heart fluttered in hope.

"This only leaves your vaccination records. Everyone needs those. Are you sure you do not have any paperwork on this?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"This complicates things, but..."

Cloud held his breath.

"We can arrange several appointments for you before you are officially accepted."

"Accepted...?"

The woman nodded and smiled, then extended a hand to shake his. "Welcome to the army, Strife."

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2016年1月3日（日）

Finished: 2016年1月14日（木）

Uploaded: 2016年1月20日（水）

Late 2015 was terrible, and so is 2016 so far. Let's not talk about it.

Next chapter: Mrs. Strife's letter to Cloud, and basic training.

PS: I'm still very unsure about this, but does anybody think there ought to be a scene from Sephiroth's point of view real soon? I'm planning to write one after the reunion for sure, but I'm starting to second-guess myself and am becoming indecisive.


	48. Chapter 48

2 June 1990

Sharp pain coursed through the side of his head. His ears rang with the sounds of boots stomping against the hard tile, and, as he managed to sit up, he heard the shouting.

"Go, go, go—move! MOVE!"

The blond opened his eyes and, through blurry vision, he saw his fellow infantrymen rushing to a pile of duffel bags on the floor. He wobbled to his feet and ran along with them, grunting when he was shoved back. He tried to push his way between two boys and was shoved back again; this time he hit the back of his head against the floor with a loud pop. The blond whimpered loudly in pain as his vision blurred, but, out of desperation, he pushed himself up and back onto his feet, making one last effort to get through the crowd.

After a moment of frantic searching, he finally got his bag and scurried back to his bunk, still unable to see straight. He sat down and closed his eyes, groaning in pain under his breath.

"Bag drill is over! Let's move!" he heard the drill sergeant yell.

Cloud let his bag go and rubbed the back of his head as he opened his eyes and followed the rest of the recruits out and into the training room. He automatically walked to his assigned spot and awaited instructions, even though he knew by now what was coming next.

"Drop and give me two hundred! All of you!"

Cloud first knelt, then got into position and started his push-ups. By the time he reached thirty, his arms were burning and he was huffing for breath, once again reminding him how grossly out of shape he was. He wheezed his way up to 128 before his arms gave out.

The drill sergeant kicked Cloud sharply, making him yelp and get back up. He felt sweat dripping down his face and arms, and his hands threatened to slip and slide against the inside of his gloves.

When he finally went down and up for the two hundredth time, he felt faint and just about ready to pass out. He licked his lips to moisturize them and panted heavily. His arms and legs shook as he stood up, his body threatening to topple over and leave him in a dehydrated, sweaty heap on the floor.

But the best part had yet to begin.

* * *

If Cloud had any water left in him, he'd have cried when it came time to run laps in the field outside. Nobody was allowed to stop or even slow down. It was not his first day doing these exercises, by any means, but no matter how optimistic he tried to be, it just never got any easier.

He couldn't take it anymore. He fell again, too exhausted to even grunt when the sharp pebbles dug into his skin. He vomited and coughed weakly as he struggled to remain conscious while the hot sun burned his sensitive, pale skin. He laid there for what felt like forever until the whistle blew and he and the others were officially allowed to stop.

He wasn't entirely conscious when he somehow picked himself back up, but he did notice that more than half of the recruits were also eating dirt. The fact that he wasn't alone didn't make him feel much better; he was too tired, miserable, and parched to feel anything but shitty.

The blond trudged back inside with the rest, and when he received his water rations for the morning, he guzzled a good three quarters of the entire thing in one go.

His stomach felt like it was going to pop. He burped and groaned, feeling faint and nauseous as he waited for the water to settle in his stomach.

For the hundredth time that week, he wondered if any of this was worth it. He'd never felt so much pain and exhaustion happening all at once, not even when Kadaj and his brothers ganged up on him to fight him all at once.

But it was too late to go home. He was stuck here for at least the next four years, no matter how badly he wanted to leave...unless he were to be discharged.

He sniffed and tried to control his breathing. No, no, he worked too hard to get this far. Besides, trying to sabotage his chances was probably more trouble than it was worth.

Cloud looked over to the other boys. Some of them couldn't even be called boys – some were huge, nearly a foot taller than Cloud. Many had some form of facial hair, though none had more than stubble due to appearance regulations.

There was so much diversity here, Cloud had to try his hardest to not stare. In Nibelheim, what few children were there had slightly tanned but still very pale skin and either black or brown hair. Midgar, however, had so many more people, and with so many different shades of skin and hair color.

One of the bigger recruits met his gaze and glared. "You got something you want to say to me?"

"No," Cloud mumbled.

The hulking beast of a man – the blond refused to believe he was anywhere close to his age – sauntered over to Cloud. He grinned down at the blond and said casually, "Speak up. I can't hear you."

"I have nothing to say to you," Cloud said, averting his gaze out of habit. The tension made him anxious and reminded him too much of a certain other person.

"I think you do have something to say to me. I want to hear it."

"It's nothing," Cloud insisted. He tried to walk away.

He froze when the other recruit grabbed his arm and squeezed tightly.

"I want to hear it," he repeated.

Cloud pulled away, gritting his teeth when the other man refused to let go. He looked up from the corner of his eye and saw the other recruits staring at the both of them.

His arm was squeezed harder. Cloud held his breath to avoid making a pained noise. The hair on the back of his neck began to stand on end a little.

"You tell me right now, or I'll take it out of you."

Confused and frustrated, Cloud tried to think of something to say.

He clearly didn't think fast enough. His reflexes acted on his behalf and made him duck to avoid the swing from the other recruit, and he yanked himself out of the iron grip before jumping away afterwards.

Adrenaline pumped through his entire body, and he struggled to calm down as memories played through his head. The other recruit looked at him with disbelief.

Panting, Cloud backed away and followed the group out as they were ordered to return outside for more drills.

* * *

His body and mind were exhausted that night, but he couldn't find it in him to pass out. He was still tense, both from the training and from the fights. He swore he could still feel eyes on him, even as he laid there in his bed and heard the soft breathing and occasional snoring coming from the other recruits.

His arms, legs, and back were in agony. He couldn't think, but he couldn't stop thinking.

Everyone in his group must have hated him. He had no idea why, but he was convinced. It was a repeat of Nibelheim, this time with copious amounts of physical training on top of it.

In spite of everything, it was his heart that hurt the most. He shuddered in pain and discomfort as his memories of Sephiroth put him to sleep.

* * *

Started: 2016年12月20日（火）

Finished: 2017年1月15日（日）

Uploaded: 2017年1月20日（火）

Hi. Unfortunately, I'm still alive.

That's it, that's all I have to contribute.

Next chapter: either a time skip or something from Sephiroth's point of view, since Cloud's experiences will get very repetitive very quickly.

PS: Rewrite, yay or nay? This fic has just reached its fourth birthday as I upload this...


	49. Chapter 49

8 June 1990

There was a new presence in this wretched place. It wasn't new, no, it was somehow familiar, and yet, after spending nearly five years in Midgar, he couldn't help but feel it was new among the constant barrage of people and their actions that annoyed him, to say the least.

To a certain extent, he didn't care too much over his mother's prejudice against the humans. She created them, after all, and it was more than easy enough to avoid them and terrorize them remotely from Mt. Nibel.

Though now, he fully empathized with her as he had to deal with them every single waking moment.

His hands idly pulled his trench coat over his shoulders as he began his daily routine of getting dressed while he continued to get lost in thought over the new-but-not-new feelings.

For his own sake, he thought of home as little as possible. It hurt more to remember his mother, his brothers, and Cloud than it did to (nearly) forget them all.

Cloud... It couldn't be him, could it? No, he was what... Nine? Ten years old? There's no way he could possibly have moved across the sea, let alone the continent.

Sephiroth pulled his boots on and huffed.

Impossible. He was only making himself more homesick over a stupid idea. He got the rest of his gear on before leaving his quarters with Masamune by his side. The usual noise and hustle and bustle of the humans as they went about their duties reassured him somewhat. It was another plain, ordinary day. Which, in and of itself, really sucked as he stepped onto the elevator to go up to Professor Hojo's laboratory.

The dim lighting used to be so comforting to him, considering he grew up nocturnal, but, as his visits to the lab became more and more frequent, it left a bad taste in his mouth.

There was some creature in a large, circular enclosure made almost entirely out of reinforced glass. It had a strange assortment of fleshy colors and drooled uncontrollably, walking along the walls of its prison and rubbing its body against the glass as it did so. It had no lips; its teeth were constantly bared, and Sephiroth could feel the animal's stress. It grinded its teeth, making him cringe internally.

It had four legs and what looked like six fish eyes. Other than that, he had no idea what animal it even _could_ have originally been.

The silver-haired man looked up at the railed platform where Professor Hojo stood. The scientist scribbled away on his clipboard, looking at the creature with curious disappoint.

Sephiroth walked to his left and went up the stairs to stand by Hojo's side. He took a quick peek at the professor's notes, internally rolling his eyes when he saw nothing but squiggly lines.

"And what did you hope to gain from something like this?" Sephiroth asked softly, his eyes on the creature once again.

"It was a series of tests on resistance," Hojo said curtly. He scrawled more dots and lines onto the paper. "First, I inoculated it with a serum to enhance its immune cycle and overall resistance to disease."

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes as the creature began to foam at the mouth. Its body shook violently, and it banged its head against the glass.

Hojo, too, kept his gaze on the animal, but no expression other than disappointment was on his face. "Then, I exposed it to several cancers and infections. Not all at once," he added. He looked down for a moment to write some more notes.

 _I'm sure more than just simple diseases were involved,_ Sephiroth though sourly. "I take it this was a failure, then."

"Obviously," Hojo snapped. "The only thing remotely successful about this experiment is the fact that the subject is still alive."

"What was originally in there?"

"In the containment unit? A sight hound."

Whatever the hell was suffering down there looked nothing like a dog anymore. It didn't even have fur.

Sephiroth blinked slowly and looked over at some blinking lights in the corner of the lab. He couldn't look at the poor bastard much longer.

"Enough about the subject," Hojo said, thankfully breaking Sephiroth out of his thoughts. The professor wrote down one last note and walked off towards the elevator. Wordlessly, Sephiroth followed.

"I'm going to need a blood sample," Hojo said as the elevator doors opened up to let the both of them in.

"And this is for...?"

"Your physical," Hojo stated simply. He pressed the button for the elevator to go down to one of the medical floors.

"Why so early? Physicals aren't until next month."

"You're being deployed to Wutai in a couple of weeks."

"I will not be there long. And since when do physicals involve blood samples?"

"I need to see the Mako levels in your body. You may be able to take another injection before you go."

The elevator stopped and dinged before opening its doors. Sephiroth and Hojo stepped out and into the room, the two of them making their way to a private room. Infantry men – cannon fodder for a pointless cause, as Sephiroth thought of them – joked and chatted loudly amongst themselves. Soon after noticing the legendary SOLDIER and the scientist, however, they quickly quieted down and straightened up, standing at attention.

Neither Sephiroth nor Hojo bothered to even look in their direction. They were less than nothing, and, until they made anything out of themselves, they would always be nothing.

The presence that was bothering Sephiroth earlier became much stronger all of a sudden. At first, it was a faint itch, so weak, it was almost unnoticeable. Now, it was a chill. A very, very strong chill, which he couldn't shake off and became stronger and stronger as he and Hojo walked past the cadets on their way to an examination room.

His eyes caught a glimpse of wild blond hair, and he slowed down. He looked to his right, and time seemed to stop, just for that moment.

Wide blue eyes stared back at him, as innocent as the day he had last seen them. Everything else about the boy in front of him was different, however. He seemed to have gained just a little bit of muscle, and he was definitely taller than Sephiroth had last seen him.

Time worked on a completely different scale to Sephiroth. What seemed like days or weeks to Sephiroth were often years or decades to a human. But, looking upon how the adolescent near him had changed, made Sephiroth very conscious of the passing of the years.

The memories came rushing back when he saw those eyes light up. He never forgot, and he couldn't even pretend that he had.

"Sephiroth," Cloud Strife whispered with awe.

* * *

Notes:

Started: 2018年1月18日（木）

Finished: 2018年1月19日（金）

Uploaded: 2018年1月20日（土）

And so, as of uploading this, tonight marks the 5th anniversary of this fic. It's been a long five years, huh? I'd have hoped this fic would've been completed by now, but I suppose that'll happen in its own time.

As a sort of celebration, I've both written this update and decided to do a (sort of) [face reveal](https://jenova-cells.deviantart.com/art/Birthday-726451246). (Sorry if my gross face melts your eyes, but there it is, that's the Zetran behind these ideas.)

Happy fifth birthday, my lil baby _Doll_. You grew up so fast.

PS: This isn't the "real" reunion; that will come later. But I hope you all enjoy this chapter. It's been a fun five years, and I hope there will be many more.


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